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Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  D.D. 


English  Luthera 

in  the 

Northwest 


BY    / 

GEORGE  HENRY  iTRABERT,  D.  D. 

PASTOR  OF  SALEM  ENGLISH  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH,  MINNEAPOLIS,   MINN. 

AUTHOR  OF 

"OUTLINES  OF  CHURCH  HISTORY,"    "MISSION  AMONG  THE  TELUGUS,"   "CHURCH 

HISTORY  FOR  THE  PEOPLE"  "QUESTIONS  AND   ANSWERS  ON  LUTHER'S  SMALL 

CATECHISM,"  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA 

GENERAL  COUNCIL  PUBLICATION  HOUSE 

1914 


Copyright.  1914.  by  the 

Board  of  Publication  of  the  General  Council  of  the 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in 

North   America 


AH  rights    reserved 


To 
MY  DEVOTED  WIFE  AND  HELPMEET 

Who  was  ever  ready  to  share  the  trials  as  well  as  the 
joys  incident  to  the  work  in  God's  vineyard;  whose  untiring 
assistance  materially  aided  in  the  furtherance  of  the  work 
of    the   Church,    this   volume   is   affectionately   dedicated. 


PREFACE 


Home  Missions,  especially  in  the  language  of  the 
country,  is  one  of  the  most  serious  problems  of  the  Church 
in  America.  Speaking  with  a  friend  of  some  of  the  expe- 
riences at  the  beginning  of  the  English  Home  Mission 
work  in  the  Northwest,  he  remarked:  "That  should  not 
be  lost.  The  Church  in  the  future  will  want  that  in- 
formation and  it  should  be  preserved."  That  remark 
started  a  train  of  thought  which  led  to  the  preparation 
of  this  volume.  It  is  a  narrative  of  facts,  of  personal  ex- 
periences and  of  reflections  suggested  by  conditions  and 
circumstances.  There  is  no  intention  to  censure  or  criti- 
cize any  portion  of  the  Church,  but  impressions  have 
been  recorded  with  which  some  may  not  agree  because 
their  angle  of  vision  is  from  a  different  standpoint.  The 
object  always  in  view  was,  to  serve  the  Church  by  giving 
an  account  of  what  has  been  done  during  the  nearly  one- 
third  of  a  century  since  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the 
English  language  was  anchored  in  the  Twin  Cities  of  the 
Northwest,  and  to  stimulate  to  greater  zeal  in  the  future. 

This  book  is  sent  forth  with  the  prayer  that  it  may 
open  the  eyes  of  the  Church  to  more  clearly  see  its  present 
opportunities  and  to  realize  more  fully  its  enormous  re- 
sponsibilities. 

GEORGE  H.  TRABERT. 

Minneapolis,  Festival  of  the  Epiphany,  Jan.  6,  1914. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I  Page 

Introductory 15 

The  language  question. — Transition  of  the  early  Swedish 
congregations. — Disastrous  losses. — The  first  English  Luth- 
eran congregation. — Caring  for  those  from  abroad. — The 
stage  of  transition  of  the  Church  in  the  East. — Slowness  of 
the  progress  of  the  English  westward. 

CHAPTER  II 
Preparation  for  the  Work 19 

Dr.  William  A.  Passavant. — First  trip  to  Minnesota. — 
A  strange  dream. — In  St.  Paul. — Father  Heyer. — The  Civil 
War. — The  first  English  church  in  Chicago. — Organization 
of  the  General  Council. — Losses  caused  by  delay. 

CHAPTER  III 
Inception  of  the  Work 24 

Second  trip  of  Dr.  Passavant  to  the  Northwest. — Purchas- 
ing of  church  property  in  Minneapolis. — A  serious  handicap. 
— The  Home  Mission  Committee. — St.  John's,  Philadel- 
phia.— The  first  missionary  called. — A  wierd  impression. — 
Visit  to  Rev.  J.  Ternstedt. — Conflicting  opinions. — Visit 
to  St.  Paul. — Report  to  the  Mission  Committee. — Dr.  Pas- 
savant visited  the  Augustana  Synod. — The  General  Council 
in  Lancaster,  Ohio. 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IV 

PAGE 

Early  Beginnings 42 

The  call  renewed. — Student  A.  J.  D.  Haupt. — Second 
visit  to  Minneapolis. — The  hope  of  the  Church  in  the  North- 
west.— Interest  of  the  Minnesota  Conference. — Present  of 
an  organ. — Departure  from  Lebanon. — Arrival  at  Minne- 
apolis.— Friends  among  strangers. — The  first  service. — 
Delay  in  beginning  in  St.  Paul. — Red  Wing. — Cordiality  of 
the  Swedish  pastors. 

CHAPTER  V 
The  First  Congregations 48 

Organizing  the  first  congregation. — The  first  fruits  of  the 
mission. — Scandinavian-English  Bible  class. — Beginning  in 
St.  Paul. — Able  assistance  by  student  Haupt. — The  first 
English  Lutheran  church  building  in  St.  Paul. — Rev.  W.  K. 
Frick. — The  psychological  moment. — The  charter  mem- 
bers.— Slow  growth. — Call  of  the  Rev.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt  as 
the  second  missionary. 

CHAPTER  VI 
Faith  Rewarded 54 

Beginning  of  the  work  unique. — A  work  of  faith. — Condi- 
tions in  Minneapolis. — How  the  Lord  rewards  faith. — A 
crisis  in  St.  Paul. — Faith  triumphant. — Despise  not  the  day 
of  small  things. 

CHAPTER  VII 

How  Expenses  Were  Met 59 

General  financial  condition  of  the  average  mission. — 
The  missionary's  task. — Missionary's  use  of  tools. — 
Articles  donated. — The  problem  how  to  meet  expenses. — 
Soliciting  material. — Keeping  down  expenses. — The  mis- 
sionary's policy. — Competing  with  other  churches. — Some- 
thing better  to  offer. 


CONTENTS  IX 

CHAPTER  VIII 

PAGE 

Difficulties  in  the  Way 65 

The  Lutheran  regarded  a  foreign  church. — Hard  to  remove 
prejudices. — Business  placed  above  church. — Which  is  the 
leading  church. — No  Lutheran  consciousness. — Reciprocity. 
— The  Devil's  bait. — Society  vs.  the  faith. — Attitude  of  some 
Lutheran  pastors  toward  the  English. — State  Church  ideas. 
— Claims  of  companionship. — Proselyting  efforts. — Relig- 
ious fads. 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Work  Attracts  Attention 73 

Making  use  of  printer's  ink. — Public  lectures. — Other 
Lutherans  taking  notice. — Other  English  work  begun  in 
St.  Paul. — Difficulty  in  removing  prejudices. — English  pro- 
fessor wanted  in  a  Norwegian  theological  seminary. — The 
English  leaven  working. — Agitation  necessary. 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Work  Expands 78 

At  Red  Wing. — Organization  of  a  congregation. — St.  Paul, 
West  Side.— Rev.  W.  F.  Ulery  — The  work  at  Fargo  — 
Beginning  at  Duluth. — Organization  of  St.  John's. — An 
interesting  experience. — First  service  at  Superior,  Wis. 

CHAPTER  XI 

A  Broad  Outlook 84 

Leaders  in  the  Swedish  Augustana  Synod. — The  need  of 
English  felt. — English  professor  in  Augustana  College. — Dr. 
Weidner  English  theological  professor. — English  professors 
in  Gustavus  Adolphus  College. — English  in  Bethany  College. 
— English  pastors  welcome. — At  home  in  the  Augustana 
Synod. — A  crisis. — Changed  conditions. 

CHAPTER  XII 

A  New  Era 91 

The  Home  Mission  Committee. — The  General  Council  in 
Minneapolis. — A   record   convention. — Calling   a   superin- 


x  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

tendent  of  missions. — The  extent  of  the  field. — On  to  the 
Pacific  Coast. — Rev.  Gerberding  in  Portland,  Ore. — Drs. 
Barnitz  and  Clutz. — An  unofficial  agreement. — The  agree- 
ment ratified  twenty-three  years  later. — Salt  Lake  City. — 
Children's  Home  Mission  Day. — Church  extension. — A 
General  Council  Church  Extension  Fund. — Board  of  English 
Home  Missions. 

CHAPTER  XIH 
Extending  Eastward 99 

The  work  in  Wisconsin. — Rev.  W.  K.  Frick  at  Milwaukee. 
A  friend  of  missions. — Looking  beyond  Milwaukee. — J.  A. 
Bohn's  report. — La  Crosse  and  Racine. — The  work  develop- 
ing.— Kenosha. — Platteville. — The  duty  before  the  Church. 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Stimulating  Influences 105 

Bohemians  (Slovaks)  in  Minneapolis. — Services  through 
an  interpreter. — A  Bohemian  congregation. — Germans 
on  the  North  Side. — St.  Peter's  Church  organized. — Exten- 
sion of  the  Swedish  work. — Stimulating  influence  of  the 
English  work  upon  others. 

CHAPTER  XV 
The  Synod  of  the  Northwest in 

Dr.  Passavant's  reasoning. — First  trip  to  Minneapolis. — 
The  Augustana  Synod's  position. — The  missionary's  report. 
— Dr.  Passavant  visits  the  Augustana  Synod. — Resolutions 
respecting  the  proposed  English  work. — General  Council  at 
Lancaster,  Ohio. — Changed  conditions. — A  new  difficulty. — 
Report  to  the  General  Council  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y. — Letter 
of  the  Chairman  of  the  English  Home  Mission  Committee 
to  the  President  of  the  Augustana  Synod. — A  proposed  new 
Synod. — Plea  for  an  English  Conference. — The  proposition 
set  aside. — An  entirely  English  Synod  advocated. — Mis- 
sionary conference  at  Minneapolis. — Preparations  looking 
to  the  organization  of  a  Synod. — The  Augustana  Synod  at 
Chisago  Lake. — A  drastic  resolution. 


CONTENTS  Xl 

CHAPTER  XVI 

PAGE 

Organization  of  the  Synod 125 

Meeting  in  Memorial,  St.  Paul. — Call  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  Synod. — First  meeting  of  the  Synod. — Breakers 
ahead. — Application  for  membership  in  the  General  Council. 
— Application  withdrawn. — Augustana  Synod  at  Lindsborg, 
Kans.,  Resolutions  adopted. — General  Council  at  Fort 
Wayne. — Principles  which  shall  govern  the  prosecution  of 
the  Home  Mission  work. — Synod  of  the  Northwest  received. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Westward  and  Northward 132 

After  twelve  years. — On  the  Pacific  Coast. — Salt  Lake 
City. — The  Dalles,  Ore. — Proposed  western  conference. — A 
Synod  instead. — The  city  of  Winnipeg. — The  first  mis- 
sionary.— The  Rev.  C.  E.  Baisler. — Livingston,  Mont. — 
What  the  future  of  the  Church  demands. 

CHAPTER  XVin 

The  Church  Waking  Up 139 

Transition  from  one  language  to  another. — The  streams 
of  immigration. — Conditions  in  the  cities. — Slowness  to 
recognize  the  need  of  English. — The  Church  awaking. — 
Influence  of  the  General  Council's  English  work. — Putting 
language  above  the  faith. — Introduction  of  English  in 
German  and  Scandinavian  churches. — Dr.  Pieper  on 
English. — The  Lutheran  Standard  on  English. — Question 
on  saving  souls. 

CHAPTER  XLX 

Putting  Synod  Above  the  Church 149 

Lack  of  co-operation. — Differences  emphasized. — Na- 
tionalistic prejudices. — Erecting  altar  against  altar. — The 
Luther  League  work. — Motives  for  non-cooperation. — 
Signs  of  a  brighter  future. — Cooperation  in  Inner  Missions. 
— United  work  in  Minneapolis. 


Xll  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XX  pAGE 

After  Thirty  Years 158 

A  look  backward. — Why  the  growth  of  the  English  work 
was  slow. — The  Pacific  Synod. — English  work  done  by 
other  than  English  Synods. — Impressions  the  English  work 
is  making. — Extent  of  the  English  work. — The  Chicago 
Seminary. 

CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Lutheran  Situation 163 

The  Church  in  .Wisconsin. — Lutherans  ahead. — The 
Church  in  Minnesota. — The  Twin  Cities. — Changed  condi- 
tions.— Canada. — The  Canadian  Northwest. — The  vast- 
ness  of  the  field. — The  need  of  English  mission  work. — 
Greater  reverence  for  holy  things. — Difficulties  greater  in  the 
States  than  in  Canada. — What  present  opportunities 
require. 

CHAPTER  XXII 

What  the  Future  Demands 170 

The  age  in  which  we  live. — Pernicious  influence  of  mate- 
rial progress. — Materialism,  etc. — The  Church  needs  waking 
up. — More  aggressive  English  work. — The  importance  of 
united  effort. — First  duty  of  the  Church  to  save  souls. — 
Resources  must  be  conserved. — The  Church  has  a  business 
side. — Lutheran  forces  must  pull  together. — Interest  in 
souls  without  respect  to  nationality. — Lutherans  in  the 
Northwest. — The  whole  greater  than  a  part. — Holding  fast 
to  the  faith. — The  greatness  of  the  Church's  future. — Her 
high  aim. — The  dawn  approaching. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  D.  D Frontispiece     page 

St.  John's  English  Lutheran  Church,  Philadelphia 16 

Rev.  C.  F.  Heyer I9 

Rev.  E.  Norelius,  D.  D 21 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church,  Minneapolis 24 

The  First  Missionary — Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  D.  D 32 

Rev.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt 42 

Rev.  P.  Sjoblom,  D.  D 48 

Rev.  R.  F.  Weidner,  D.  D 73 

St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church,  Red  Wing 78 

Rev.  W.  F.  Ulery 81 

Rev.  J.  P.  Uhler,  Ph.  D 84 

Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  Jr 91 

Rev.  G.  H.  Gerberding,  D.  D 96 

Rev.  W.  K.  Frick,  D.  D 100 

Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Milwaukee 105 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  Seattle in 

Lutheran  Church  in  Livingston 132 

Salem  Lutheran  Church,  Minneapolis 139 

The  First  Missionary — After  Thirty  Years 149 

Church  of  the  Reformation,  St.  Paul 161 

First  English  Lutheran  Church,  Winnipeg 166 

St.  James  Lutheran  Church  at  Portland,  Oregon 177 

xiii 


INTRODUCTION 

By  G.  H.  Gerberding,  D.  D. 


The  church  must  always  go  to  school.  She  is  never 
done  learning.  She  needs  to  correct  herself  again  and 
again.  Her  past  is  full  of  mistakes  and  her  future  will 
not  be  free  from  them.  She  is  not  infallible.  Her  great- 
est and  wisest  inspired  apostle  knew  only  in  part  and 
prophesied  only  in  part.  He  saw  at  best  through  a  glass 
darkly.  Her  greatest  scholars  and  theologians  can  never 
surpass  Paul. 

The  church  has  an  inspired  and  infallible  revelation. 
But  she  has  neither  inspired  nor  infallible  interpreters. 
There  is  nothing  perfect  in  this  world.  There  are  no 
immaculate  conceptions.  There  is  none  of  the  natural 
sons  of  Adam  who  is  sinless.  Sin  has  mortalized  the 
body.  Sin  has  defiled  the  flesh.  Sin  has  beclouded  the 
mind.  Sin  has  impaired  the  conscience.  Sin  has  per- 
verted the  judgment.  Sin  has  biased  the  will.  Even  the 
renewed  and  sanctified  sin  daily  and  are  only  pressing 
forward  toward  perfection. 

No  part  of  the  church,  least  of  all  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  dare  claim  that  she  knows  and  understands  all 
truth.  A  church  or  a  section  of  the  church  that  boasts 
and  vaunts  as  if  she  had  assimilated  and  embodied  all 
the  treasures  of  divine  wisdom  and  knowledge  only  shows 
her  phariseeism   and   ignorance.    The   church   and   her 

9 


io  INTRODUCTION 

people,  even  the  wisest  and  best  of  them,  must  be  ever 
willing  and  eager  to  learn. 

History  is  our  best  teacher.  She  teaches  by  example. 
She  sets  forth  facts.  Facts  are  stubborn  things.  Facts 
are  no  respectors  of  persons.  Facts  spare  no  one.  Facts 
make  humble.  Facts  chasten.  Facts  mercilessly  mark 
the  mistakes  of  the  past.  Facts  ought  to  prevent  the  same 
mistakes  in  the  future. 

The  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America  is  a  sad 
one.  It  is  full  of  "might  have  beens."  It  is  blotted  with 
blunders.     It  is  lamentable  with  losses. 

The  language  question  has  been  her  heaviest  cross.  It 
has  worried  and  weakened  her  on  every  side.  It  has  made 
her  a  feeder  for  others.  It  has  kept  her  as  a  hewer  of 
wood  and  a  drawer  of  water,  where  she  could  have  been 
and  should  have  been  the  lambent  leader  of  the  hosts  of 
God.  The  story  of  the  Swedish  and  German  Lutherans 
of  the  East  is  too  sad  to  tell.  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
and  Wilmington  and  Waldboro  and  towns  and  villages 
without  number  tell  their  own  story. 

God  gave  the  Lutheran  Church  a  second  opportunity 
in  the  great  West.  As  everything  moves  more  rapidly 
in  the  West  than  in  the  East,  so  the  language  question 
came  with  startling  speed  and  frightening  force.  There 
was  danger  that  the  losses  of  the  East  might  be  repeated 
in  the  West.  Much  was  lost  before  the  bewildered  church 
realized  it  or  knew  how  to  remedy  it.  God  raised  up  wide 
visioned  men  who  saw  the  danger  and  prayed  and  planned 
to  avert  it.  The  Passavants  were  the  leaders  of  the  seers. 
Others  caught  the  vision  and  were  not  disobedient. 
Purely  English  work  was  started  in  the  West  by  men 
from  the  English  Churches  of  the  East.  They  carried  a 
pure    confessional    Lutheranism    with    them    and    their 


INTRODUCTION  II 

critics  could  find  no  flaw  in  their  faith  and  practice. 
They  demonstrated  that  orthodox  Lutheranism  could 
live  and  work  and  win  in  English.  Their  English  work 
compelled  respect  even  among  those  who  at  first  inclined 
to  scoff  and  sneer.  Other  Lutherans  who  had  never  given 
a  care  or  an  effort  to  English  began  to  imitate  and  emulate 
these  Americans  as  they  were  called.  The  English 
Lutherans  from  the  East  did  a  great  work  in  the  North- 
west, and  are  destined  to  do  an  ever  greater  work.  But 
this  is  by  no  means  the  whole  story.  The  Lutherans  from 
the  East  showed  the  Lutherans  in  the  West  how  to  do 
English  work.  They  brought  with  them  and  introduced 
a  Lutheran  literature  in  classic  English  for  the  Sunday- 
school,  the  catechetical  class,  the  worshiping  congre- 
gation and  English  readers  who  desired  to  know  our 
church  doctrines,  and  practices.  The  strange  thing  is 
that  when  the  anglicizing  Scandinavians  and  some  Ger- 
mans wanted  an  English  Literature,  instead  of  using  our 
acknowledgedly  sound  one  they  proceeded  to  make  and 
use  an  often  inferior  one  of  their  own. 

Well,  the  whole  interesting  and  ofttime  romantic 
story  of  English  Lutheranism  in  the  Northwest  is  found 
in  this  book.  It  was  written  at  the  suggestion  and  solici- 
tation of  friends  who  wanted  the  story  from  the  heart  and 
pen  of  one  who  has  been  an  actor  and  a  factor  in  it  from 
the  beginning.  Our  old  friend  has  done  well  to  give  to  the 
Church  this  intensely  interesting  and  valuable  work  as 
the  matured  fruit  of  his  long  experience. 

The  book  teaches  a  number  of  vital  lessons,  which  a 
large  part  of  our  Church  in  the  West  has  not  yet  learned 
and  which  must  be  learned  and  that  quickly  if  we,  as  a 
church,  are  to  occupy  and  maintain  that  position  to  which 
our  history,  our  faith  and  our  spirit  entitle  us.     Among  the 


12  INTRODUCTION 

lessons  to  be  learned  from  this  little  history  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

i.  The  English  work  has  often  been  and  is  still  mis- 
understood, misjudged  and  misrepresented.  An  impartial 
and  unprejudiced  examination  of  its  history  would  cor- 
rect much  of  this  and  open  the  way  for  a  more  pleasant 
and  profitable  living  together. 

2.  To  put  nationality  above  church,  language  above 
faith,  and  zeal  for  Synod  above  love  of  souls  is  dis- 
loyalty to  the  Church,  her  faith,  her  children  and  her 
future. 

3.  A  mutually  agreeable  modus  vivendi  ought  to  be 
amicably  worked  out  by  the  Lutheran  bodies  occupying 
the  same  territory.  Such  an  agreement  ought  to  con- 
tain some  such  provisions  as  these: 

(a)  The  English  churches  ought  to  carefully  and  con- 
scientiously respect  the  discipline  of  all  the  other  churches 
that  recognize  them  and  enter  into  an  agreement  with 
them. 

(b)  The  pastors  and  members  of  the  English  congre- 
gations ought  to  realize  and  recognize  that  neighbor 
churches  have  a  right  to  hold  all  their  own  members  and 
that  it  is  morally  wrong  to  covet  or  in  any  way  try  to 
alienate  these  members  away  from  the  church  to  which 
they  belong. 

(c)  In  case,  however,  of  the  floating  element,  consisting 
of  those  who  were  confirmed  years  ago,  but  have  neither 
communed  nor  attended  nor  supported  the  old  church  in 
years,  who  are  either  attending  churches  of  other  faith  or 
are  out  in  the  world,  the  English  Lutheran  Church  has  a 
right  to  gather  these  in  where  the  old  church  cannot  regain 
or  hold  them. 

(d)  The  old  churches  in  fact  ought  to  gladly  advise  all 


INTRODUCTION  13 

such  as  they  cannot  hold  to  go  to  the  English  Church  and 
should  request  the  English  pastor  to  look  after  them. 

(e)  The  English  Pastoral  Associations,  Conferences 
and  Synods  should  frown  upon  and  warn  against  any 
violations  of  Christian  comity  by  any  of  their  members. 

With  some  such  an  agreement,  our  Lutheran  cause 
would  be  wonderfully  strengthened  and  our  future  would 
be  even  more  bright  than  the  last  inspiring  chapter  of  this 
book  sets  forth. 

These  things,  i.  e.,  the  facts  of  this  book,  happened 
unto  them  for  examples. 

Dr.  Jacobs  once  said  at  an  International  dinner  in 
Philadelphia:  "Let  the  General  Council  if  need  be,  as  an 
organization,  die.  Let  the  General  Synod  if  need  be,  as  an 
organization,  die.  Let  every  existing  organization,  as  an 
organization,  if  it  must  be,  die,  but  let  the  Lutheran  faith 
live." 

To  this  we  most  heartily  subscribe.  Yet,  our  land  and 
age  and  people  need  the  Lutheran  Church,  her  faith  and 
her  spirit.  Let  the  Lutheran  faith  and  that  beautiful 
type  of  piety  which  is  the  proper  fruit  of  that  faith  live 
in  that  language  which  the  people  best  understand. 


ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE 
NORTHWEST 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTORY 

The  language  question  has  been  one  of  the  greatest 
handicaps  to  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America.  It  has 
been  a  burning  question  for  nearly  two  centuries.  In 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  English  preach- 
ing was  in  demand  in  the  Swedish  Churches  on  the  Dela- 
ware which  had  been  founded  nearly  a  century  earlier, 
and  in  1725  the  services  in  the  formerly  Dutch  Lutheran 
Church  in  Albany,  New  York,  were  entirely  in  English. 
The  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  English 
language  is  indeed  a  sad  one.  Suffering  at  first  from  the 
lack  of  pastors  who  could  officiate  in  what  was  destined  to 
be  the  language  of  America,  there  being  no  schools  in 
which  to  train  up  a  native  ministry,  and  then,  owing  to 
conditions  in  a  new  country,  where  already  over  two 
centuries  ago  there  were  three  different  languages  used, 
besides  the  English,  and  those  overlapping  each  other, 
there  was  little  wonder  that  the  Church  met  with  dis- 
tressing losses. 

Owing  to  conditions,  the  transition  of  the  early  Swedish 
congregations  on  the  Delaware  River,  into  English, 
landed  them  in  another  community,  which  was  very 

15 


1 6     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

willing  to  supply  them  with  English  pastors.  It  also 
caused  several  efforts  to  organize  English  congregations 
in  what  were  Dutch  and  German  communities,  to  prove 
abortive,  because  of  a  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
neighboring  German  congregations.  In  the  meantime 
the  several  English  denominations  profited  by  our  mis- 
fortunes and  built  up  flourishing  congregations  out  of 
Lutheran  material. 

The  first  entirely  English  Lutheran  congregation  in 
America,  that  has  had  an  uninterrupted  existence  until 
today,  was  brought  into  being  after  a  desperate  struggle 
in  1806.  It  is  this  Congregation,  St.  John's  in  Philadel- 
phia, that,  in  a  measure,  made  it  possible  for  the  English 
work  in  the  Northwest  (in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul) 
to  be  begun  when  it  was. 

Owing  to  the  constant  stream  of  immigrants  from 
the  different  Lutheran  countries  of  Europe,  beginning 
at  an  early  period  and  continuing  with  little  interruption 
to  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century,  the  Church 
had  its  hands  more  than  full  to  provide  for  her  children 
from  abroad.  It  is  quite  natural  to  see  how  the  different 
nationalities,  German,  Swedish  and  Norwegian,  could 
not  realize  the  necessity  of  making  way  for  the  English 
as  long  as  many  thousands  of  the  Lutheran  immigrants  of 
their  own  flesh  and  blood  were  uncared  for.  With  the 
churches,  especially  in  the  cities,  filled  to  overflowing  and 
the  many  thousands  unchurched,  who  could  be  minis- 
tered unto  only  in  their  own  mother  tongue,  it  was  hard 
to  realize  how  many  of  the  second  generation,  because 
of  their  being  trained  in  the  English  Public  Schools,  and 
in  constant  contact  with  English  speaking  people,  would 
prefer  the  English  language.  But  the  conditions  rapidly 
became  such,  that  many  of  the  young  people,  and  often 


St.  John's  English  Lutheran  Church,  Philadelphia 


INTRODUCTORY  17 

whole  families  were  absorbed  by  neighboring  congrega- 
tions because  the  Lutheran  Church  did  not  provide 
services  in  the  recognized  language  of  America. 

This  condition  of  things  was  not  unnoticed  by  some 
far-seeing  men  in  the  Church  in  the  East.  They  had 
seen  the  losses  the  Church  had  sustained  at  an  earlier 
period;  how,  in  what  were  at  one  time  predominantly 
Lutheran  communities,  other  churches  had  come  to  the 
front  and  were  leaving  their  impression  upon  the  people, 
while  the  Lutheran  Church  received  only  passing  notice. 
And  what  made  the  picture  such  a  sad  one,  was  the  fact, 
that  the  leading  members  of  those  congregations  were  of 
Lutheran  stock  and  should  have  been  in  the  Lutheran  fold. 

But  while  the  Northwest  was  filling  up  with  immigrants 
from  the  East,  to  many  of  whom  the  English  language 
was  the  mother  tongue,  and  with  Lutheran  immigrants 
from  abroad  who  were  being  ministered  unto,  as  far  as 
possible,  by  pastors  of  the  several  nationalities,  the 
Church  in  the  East  was  in  the  stage  of  transition  from 
the  German  to  English,  and  had  its  hands  quite  full  to 
meet  the  changing  conditions.  Though  many  realized 
that  thousands  who  had  left  the  older  congregations  in 
the  East  for  the  West  were  destitute  of  the  Gospel,  be- 
cause there  were  no  English  Lutheran  congregations 
with  which  they  could  worship,  they  seemed  powerless 
to  render  the  necessary  aid,  and  could  only  lament  the 
disastrous  losses  the  Church  was  destined  to  suffer. 

Until  1887  there  was  no  self-supporting  English  Luth- 
eran congregation  in  Chicago,  and  only  two  missions, 
although  the  holding  of  English  services,  at  first  in  a  hos- 
pital founded  by  Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant,  dates  back  to 
1856.  This  shows  the  slowness  of  the  English  work  in 
the  growing  cities  of  the  West,  owing,  on  the  one  hand, 


1 8     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

to  the  difficulties  which  had  to  be  met  and  the  lack  of 
men  trained  for  the  work;  and  on  the  other,  the  apathy 
of  the  older  portions  of  the  Church  with  respect  to  English 
work  in  the  West.  Prior  to  1883  no  congregation  was  or- 
ganized in  any  city  northwest  of  Chicago,  and  but  one 
small  English  Lutheran  Church  existed  at  Eyota  in  the 
southern  part  of  Minnesota,  formed  by  a  colony  from 
Eastern  Ohio,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  W.  Thompson, 
a  member  of  the  East  Ohio  Synod  (General  Synod). 
This  congregation  numbered  in  1891,  twenty-seven 
communicants.  But  a  new  era  was  about  to  dawn,  for 
which  preliminary  work  had  been  done  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  when,  in  the  providence  of  God,  the  proper 
time  had  come,  the  way  was  prepared  successfully  to 
carry  on  the  work. 


Rev.  C.  F.  Heyer 


CHAPTER  II 

PREPARATION  FOR  THE  WORK 

The  man  who,  above  all  others,  took  the  deepest  in- 
terest in  the  gathering  and  upbuilding  of  the  whole 
Lutheran  Church  in  America,  was,  without  any  doubt, 
the  Rev.  William  A.  Passavant,  D.  D.,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.  He  was  not  only  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  with  a  heart 
aglow  for  the  welfare  of  the  needy  and  destitute,  but  a 
man  with  a  wide  outlook  for  the  Church,  of  whatever 
nationality;  always  keeping  in  mind  the  future,  that 
ample  provision  be  made  to  save  the  coming  generations 
to  the  Church,  by  the  founding  of  English  congregations. 
When  the  West  and  Northwest  began  to  be  settled  by 
Swedes  and  Norwegians,  he  took  the  deepest  interest  in 
their  welfare,  and  again  and  again  collected  money  to 
aid  the  first  pastors  in  their  work.  In  the  fall  of  1856 
he  took  his  first  trip  to  Minnesota.  He  took  with  him  a 
Norwegian  pastor,  the  Rev.  Paul  Anderson,  from  Chicago. 
At  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  they  found  a  number  of  Nor- 
wegians and  held  a  Norwegian-English  service  in  a 
private  house.  He  secured  the  donation  of  a  lot  for  a 
Norwegian  church,  and  bought  another,  for  which  he  col- 
lected the  greater  part  of  the  price  before  he  left  the 
city,  for  a  future  English  church.  He  continued  his 
journey  to  Red  Wing  by  boat,  and  then  drove  twelve 
miles  to  Vasa,  where  the  Rev.  E.  Norelius  lived,  to  talk 
over  the  interests  of  the  Church  in  the  Swedish  settlements. 

19 


20     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

A  graphic  account  of  this  visit  is  given  in  Dr.  Gerber- 
ding's  "Life  of  Dr.  Passavant,"  pp.  363  ff. 

The  author  also  had  a  description  of  this  trip  from 
Dr.  Passavant's  own  lips.  He  took  great  interest  in 
relating  a  dream  which  he  had  the  night  he  lodged  in, 
what  pastor  Norelius  called  his  "claim  shanty."  When 
the  doctor  retired  he  was  struck  with  the  whiteness  of  the 
ceiling,  thinking  it  was  plastered.  After  sleeping  peace- 
fully for  a  while  he  began  to  dream.  He  dreamed  that 
he  was  lying  at  the  bottom  of  Lake  Pepin,  and  that  the 
bottom  had  sprung  a  leak  and  the  water  was  beginning  to 
run  down  on  him  and  he  wondered  how  he  could  escape 
from  being  drowned.  He  awoke,  and  behold,  it  rained; 
the  rain  had  fallen  upon  that  beautifully  white  ceiling 
which  formed  a  bag  from  which  the  water  was  running 
down  upon  the  doctor's  feet.  The  ceiling  was  of  muslin 
tacked  up  along  the  rafters. 

From  Red  Wing  Dr.  Passavant  went  to  St.  Paul,  where 
he  spent  a  week  studying  the  place  with  a  view  of  further- 
ing the  interests  of  the  Church.  He  determined  to  secure 
a  lot  for  an  English  Lutheran  Church  near  the  center  of 
the  city,  but  found  that  he  was  several  years  too  late  to 
obtain  such  a  site  by  gift.1  He  secured  subscriptions  of 
$1200  for  a  church  lot,  and  the  present  of  a  deed  for  three 
acres  of  ground  on  Lake  Como  (now  the  center  of  a  beauti- 
ful park)  which  could  be  either  sold  for  a  church  or  used 
as  a  site  for  an  Orphan  House. 

Concerning  the  importance  of  an  English  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  capital  of  the  territory  of  Minnesota,  he 
writes:  "It  is  already  late  in  the  day  to  begin  an  enter- 
prise which  should  have  been  commenced  with  the  very 
commencement  of  the  city.  The  difficulties  which  are 
1  "  Life  of  Dr.  Passavant,"  p.  365- 


Rev.  E.  Norelius,  D.D. 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  WORK  21 

now  inseparable  from  such  an  undertaking,  are  but  the 
consequences  of  our  sinful  neglect.  But  these  cannot 
make  us  shirk  from  our  obvious  duty.  Whatever  be  the 
cost  and  the  exertions  in  entering  the  field  at  the  eleventh 
hour,  it  must  be  done."1  It  was  the  obvious  intention  of 
Dr.  Passavant  that  an  English  Lutheran  pastor  should 
be  located  at  St.  Paul  within  a  year.  This  was  in  1856, 
just  twenty-seven  years  before  actual  work  was  begun 
which  resulted  in  the  permanent  establishing  of  English 
Lutheran  congregations  in  the  Northwest. 

Although  there  were  no  direct  results  from  the  doctor's 
visit  in  1856,  the  subject  was  kept  before  the  mind  of  the 
Church.  In  1857  "Father"  Heyer  returned  from  India, 
where  he  founded  our  first  Foreign  Mission  in  1842. 
Soon  after  his  return  he  was  called  as  a  Home  Missionary 
and  sent  to  St.  Paul  to  gather  a  German  and  an  English 
Lutheran  congregation.  While  Father  Heyer  was  the 
pastor  of  the  German  Lutheran  congregation,  he  also 
preached  quite  regularly  in  English,  which  services  were 
held  in  the  Court  House,  in  the  hope  that  soon  a  regular 
English  pastor  would  be  secured  for  that  work. 

Now  came  the  period  of  the  Civil  War  which  no  doubt 
had  much  to  do  in  drawing  attention  away  from  the 
Northwest,  especially  with  respect  to  the  English  work. 
Immigration  also  began  to  increase  and  every  effort  had 
to  be  put  forth  to  gather  the  immigrants  into  congre- 
gations, so  that  there  was  little  room  for  special  attention 
to  the  English.  But  the  importance  of  the  English  work 
was  not  forgotten.  In  1865  Pastor  Norelius  wrote  to 
Dr.  Passavant:  "It  would  be  very  desirable  to  have  an 
English  Lutheran  congregation  established  here  in  Red 
Wing  in  time  to  gather  in  the  large  material  which  is  al- 
1  Gerberding's  "Life  of  Passavant,"  p.  366. 


22     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ready  available.  There  are  already  three  different  Luth- 
eran nationalities  who  have  established  congregations, 
viz. :  the  Germans,  the  Swedes  and  the  Norwegians.  I  do 
hope  that  by  the  grace  of  God  we  may  soon  be  able  to 
establish  an  English  congregation,  since  otherwise  many 
of  the  young  people  will  be  lost  to  our  Church."1 

While  the  importance  of  beginning  work  in  the  English 
language  in  the  several  cities  in  the  Northwest,  from 
Milwaukee  westward,  was  seen  by  earnest,  foresighted 
men,  the  English  speaking  portion  of  the  Church  was  slow 
in  realizing  it.  Even  in  the  great  central  city  of  Chicago 
there  was  no  English  congregation  organized  until  1867, 
when  the  Church  of  Mercy  was  founded.  This  was  swept 
away  by  the  great  fire  of  187 1  and  was  reorganized  as 
Holy  Trinity  Church. 

What  may  have  had  much  to  do  in  delaying  the  begin- 
ning of  the  work  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War,  was  the  crisis  through  which  the  Church  passed  from 
1864  to  1866  which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
General  Council  the  following  year.  It  was  the  period  of 
fierce  controversy  and  it  required  a  number  of  years  before 
there  was  a  proper  adjustment  to  new  conditions,  and 
until  the  machinery  was  in  order  to  do  effective  Mission 
work. 

Looking  back  over  the  period  from  1856  to  1883  we 
cannot  but  deplore  the  losses  the  Church  was  obliged  to 
suffer  because  conditions  were  such  that  English  work 
could  not  be  begun  with  vigor  at  the  earlier  date.  Dur- 
ing the  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  that  had  passed, 
scores  of  Lutherans  from  the  East,  finding  no  Church  home 
in  their  native  English,  united  with  other  churches, 
and  today,  among  the  leading  men  in  the  different  North- 
1  Gerberding's  "Life-of  Passavant,"  p.  370. 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  WORK  23 

western  cities,  who  make  up  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the 
principle  Reformed  denominations,  are  the  descendants  of 
Lutherans,  whose  ancestors  would  gladly  have  remained 
in,  and  aided  in  building  up,  their  own  Church,  had  she 
come  to  them  in  the  English  language  when  they  migrated 
here  from  the  East.    But  a  better  day  was  about  to  dawn. 


CHAPTER  III 

INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK 

In  the  Spring  of  1881  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  D.  D., 
made  another  trip  to  the  Northwest,  at  this  time  visiting 
Minneapolis  in  particular.  He  came  again  in  the  interest 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  English  language.  On 
Sunday  evening  he  preached  in  the  Augustana  (Swedish) 
Church,  of  which  the  Rev.  J.  Ternsted  was  the  pastor, 
to  a  large  congregation.  He  was  convinced  that  the  field 
was  ripe  for  English  work  and  that  there  should  be  delay 
no  longer.  The  Augustana  congregation  was  about  to 
build  a  new  church,  more  centrally  located,  and  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  large  Swedish  population 
already  in  the  city.  The  Doctor  learned  that  the  Swedish 
church  was  for  sale,  and  at  once  commenced  negotiations 
for  its  purchase.  The  bargain  was  concluded  in  June  of 
of  the  same  year.  In  the  Fall  the  Doctor  made  another 
visit  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  lot  on  which  to  move 
the  church  which  stood  on  the  corner  of  14th  Avenue  S. 
and  Washington.  A  lot  132  by  165  feet  was  purchased 
in  what  was  then  regarded  the  most  central  location  in 
the  city,  on  Eighth  Avenue  S.  and  Fifth  Street,  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  old  Augustana  Church, 
to  which  that  building  was  moved  in  November.  The 
whole  outlay  for  lot,  church,  moving  and  repairing,  was 
$9000  which  the  proposed  English  congregation  was  ex- 
pected to  assume  as  soon  as  organized.    The  Augustana 

24 


>m 


St.  John's  Lutheran  Church,  Minneapolis 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  25 

congregation  had  the  privilege  of  using  the  building  until 
their  new  church  was  completed. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Council  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  October  20-25,  1881,  Dr.  Passavant,  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  English  Home  Missions,  reported  as 
follows: 

Minneapolis  English  Mission1 

"The  attention  of  the  Committee  was  directed  to  this 
growing  city  of  the  Northwest  and  to  the  neighboring 
city  of  St.  Paul,  by  circumstances  which  were  clearly 
providential.  The  former  with  a  population  of  50,000 
and  the  latter  with  nearly  the  same  number,  are  rapidly 
becoming  cities  of  vast  industry  and  are  attracting  to 
themselves  multitudes  of  our  people  from  Northern 
Europe  and  the  eastern  portion  of  the  States.  While 
churches  and  schools,  with  a  flourishing  college  and 
seminary,  are  already  established  for  their  welfare,  owing 
to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  early  settlers,  many 
of  the  young  have  been  educated  in  English  communities, 
and  are  rapidly  drifting  away  from  the  Church  and  her 
faith.  This  is  especially  so  in  regard  to  the  German, 
Norwegian  and  Danish  population.  The  establishment  of 
English  Lutheran  churches  is,  therefore,  an  absolute 
necessity,  alike  for  them  and  for  our  scattered  members 
from  the  East.  As  both  these  cities  are  already  great 
centers  of  material  and  moral  influence  for  the  vast 
regions  beyond,  your  Committee  have  anxiously  looked 
about  them  for  means  and  for  the  necessary  laborers  for 
these  different  fields. 

"Before  a  laborer  was  appointed  it  was  deemed  ad- 
visable by  the  committee  that  the  chairman  should  per- 

1  General  Council  Minutes,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  1881,  pp.  50,  51. 


26     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

sonally  visit  this  city  and  if  possible  arrange  for  a  suitable 
place  of  worship.  Accordingly  the  city  was  visited  in 
June  and  as  the  result  of  a  careful  examination,  the  con- 
viction was  strengthened  that  time,  money  and  the 
efficiency  of  the  proposed  mission  required  a  church  edifice, 
centrally  located  and  not  a  public  hall.  The  absence  of 
any  individual  or  congregation  to  assume  the  respon- 
sibility of  purchase  or  erection,  was  the  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  accomplishing  the  desired  result.  But  the  inter- 
ests at  stake  were  too  important  to  be  long  postponed. 
Accordingly,  ten  days  ago,  a  second  visit  was  made  by 
the  chairman  of  the  committee  and  after  much  thought 
and  prayer  two  lots  on  Eighth  Avenue  South  and  Fifth 
Street  were  finally  purchased  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
The  cost  of  the  lots  was  $6500  payable  in  April,  1882. 
The  location  is  all  that  could  be  desired,  in  the  centre  of 
the  city,  opposite  the  Court  House,  and  accessible  by  the 
street  cars  from  various  directions.  The  lots  have  a 
frontage  on  Fifth  Street  of  132  feet  and  a  depth  on  Eighth 
Avenue  of  165  feet.  A  neat  frame  cottage  with  bay 
windows  stands  on  the  corner  lot,  and  is  well  adapted  for 
a  pastor's  residence.  In  order  to  secure  a  place  of  worship 
the  offer  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Augustana  congregation 
to  dispose  of  their  church  edifice  for  $1000  was  accepted 
and  a  contract  was  made  for  its  removal  to  the  rear  end 
of  the  newly  purchased  lots. 

"The  building  is  40  by  65  feet  in  size  of  good  height, 
and  with  a  tower  and  pulpit  recess.  The  original  cost 
was  nearly  $5000,  while  the  cost  of  its  purchase,  removal 
and  refitting  will  not  exceed  the  half  of  this.  The  cost 
of  the  whole  property,  including  the  parsonage  and 
church,  will,  therefore,  be  about  $9000.  This  is  a  large 
sum  to  be  provided  for  in  so  short  a  time,  but  a  very 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  27 

small  sum  for  such  a  location,  with  a  parsonage  and  a 
neat  substantial  church  edifice  with  a  seating  capacity  for 
five  hundred.  In  the  absence  of  a  congregation  God  has 
raised  up  a  friend  who  kindly  loaned  the  money  at  a  low 
rate  of  interest,  so  that  all  fear  of  losing  it  is  removed. 
By  the  terms  of  the  purchase,  our  Swedish  brethren  will 
occupy  the  church  on  Sunday  mornings  until  the  com- 
pletion of  their  new  and  capacious  church.  Until  then  it 
is  proposed,  as  soon  as  a  missionary  can  be  procured,  to 
have  Sunday  school  in  the  afternoon  and  Divine  service 
in  the  evening." 

When  the  work  of  gathering  an  English  congregation 
was  begun,  about  eighteen  months  later,  the  missionary 
had  to  face  a  serious  handicap  which  would  not  have 
existed,  had  the  field  been  occupied  a  quarter  of  a  century 
earlier.  Then  lots  were  comparatively  cheap  and  there 
would  not  have  been  a  debt  of  $9000  with  interest  and 
two  years'  taxes  due,  the  whole  amounting  to  $857, 
which  had  to  be  met  at  once,  besides  repairs  on  the  build- 
ing, which  were  an  absolute  necessity,  requiring  another 
outlay  of  $328.68  or  a  total  of  $1185.68. 

Soon  after  settling  down  in  Minneapolis,  the  missionary, 
upon  inquiry,  discovered  that  the  deeds  of  the  property  had 
not  been  recorded,  but  were  deposited  in  a  safe  in  a  bank. 
Had  the  former  owner  known  this,  he  could  have  resold 
the  lots,  as  there  was  no  record  of  their  previous  sale. 
When  the  deeds  were  taken  to  the  Register's  office,  the 
taxes  due  for  that  year  had  to  first  be  paid  before  they 
could  be  put  on  record.  Upon  examination  of  the  books 
in  the  office  of  the  County  Treasurer  it  was  discovered 
that  the  property  had  been  actually  sold  for  taxes  the 
previous  year,  and  that  the  whole  amount  now  due  for 
taxes  and  interest  on  the  same  was  $317,  for  which  pay- 


28     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ment  was  required  before  the  deeds  could  be  recorded. 
The  purchaser,  Dr.  Passavant,  was  at  once  informed  of 
the  situation,  who  wired  back:  "Borrow  the  money,  a 
draft  coming."  The  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
being  kindly  disposed  toward  the  missionary  and  his  work, 
loaned  the  amount  needed,  so  that  the  deeds  could  be  put 
on  record.  The  Doctor  (believing  that  all  that  was  im- 
mediately necessary  to  straighten  out  the  tangle  was,  to 
send  the  amount  due  for  the  previous  year's  taxes  with 
interest  on  the  same),  sent  a  draft  for  $169.37,  which  left 
the  missionary  in  debt  to  the  bank  $147.63.  While  this 
caused  him  fresh  embarrassment,  the  property  was  safe, 
and  by  October  the  Rev.  Dr.  Passavant  was  repaid  from 
the  money  the  missionary  collected.  The  reason  the  prop- 
erty had  been  sold  was,  in  the  confidence  Dr.  Passavant 
placed  in  the  former  owner,  who  promised,  when  the 
deeds  were  made,  that  he  would  pay  the  taxes  for  the 
current  year,  which  promise  was  not  kept.  Had  the 
deeds  been  presented  in  the  Register's  office  by  the  man 
into  whose  custody  they  were  given,  the  trick  would  at 
once  have  been  discovered. 

Few  missions  have  been  begun  with  such  a  financial 
handicap.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  the  before 
mentioned  banker,  who,  though  not  a  Lutheran,  realized 
the  difficulties  the  missionary  was  laboring  under,  the 
embarrassment  would  have  been  still  greater.  That  the 
hand  of  God  was  in  it  all  is  clearly  seen,  for  neither  was 
the  missionary  discouraged  nor  the  work  retarded  because 
of  the  unfortunate  conditions. 

The  missionary  had  to  make  himself  responsible  for 
all  the  money  needed  to  clear  the  property  and  to  repair 
the  building,  and  gather  the  money  as  best  he  could, 
before  any  serious  work  could  be  done.     Besides  the  finan- 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  29 

cial  handicap,  the  early  Lutheran  settlers  from  the  East, 
now  among  the  most  prominent  citizens,  had  long  since 
found  other  church  homes  in  which  their  children  were 
reared,  so  that  the  work  had  to  be  begun  with  a  few  late 
arrivals  and  the  descendants  of  the  early  Scandinavian 
settlers,  most  of  whom  were  still  familiar  with  the  mother 
tongue,  while  those  who  preferred  the  English  had  little 
Lutheran  consciousness  and  were  as  ready  to  go  to  any 
other  church  as  to  their  own. 

But  the  very  fact  that  a  lot  and  church  building  had 
been  purchased  gave  the  assurance  that  at  length  a 
beginning  was  to  be  made.  The  first  step  had  been  taken, 
and  now  it  was  necessary  that  it  be  followed  up  or  result 
in  inglorious  failure. 

The  very  first  step  required  heroic  faith,  for  when  Dr. 
Passavant  bought  that  property,  he  did  not  know  who 
could  be  found  to  go  forth  and  take  up  the  heavy  burden 
and  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  endeavor  to  gather  a  con- 
gregation. 

Dr.  Passavant  was  at  the  time  (1882)  chairman  of  the 
Home  Mission  Committee  of  the  General  Council.  The 
Home  Mission  work  was  not  fully  organized,  and  there 
was  no  money  in  the  treasury  guaranteeing  the  expansion 
of  the  work  of  English  Home  Missions.  But  the  resource- 
ful Doctor  had  in  a  measure  made  provision  for  beginning 
the  work  in  Minneapolis.  Nearly  two  years  previously 
he  laid  the  matter  of  Mission  work  in  the  Northwest 
before  the  Sunday  School  Association  of  St.  John's  Church, 
Philadelphia,  the  mother  of  English  Lutheran  congrega- 
tions, and  they  resolved  to  contribute  $500  a  year  to  the 
support  of  a  missionary  in  Minneapolis.  This  was  to  be 
supplemented  by  the  Home  Mission  Committee  with  a 
sufficient  amount  to  make  up  the  missionary's  salary. 


30     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

In  the  Spring  of  1882  the  Rev.  George  H.  Trabert,  pastor 
of  Salem  Church,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  was  called  by  the  Home 
Mission  Committee  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  Minneapolis, 
Minn.;  and,  as  far  as  time  and  circumstances  would  per- 
mit, also  begin  work  at  St.  Paul  and  Red  Wing.  At  that 
time  Minneapolis  had  a  population  of  about  65,000  and 
St.  Paul  nearly  as  many.  As  the  field  was  not  only  en- 
tirely new  and  quite  remote,  and  as  the  acceptance  of  the 
call  required  a  great  sacrifice,  looked  at  frbm  every  stand- 
point, it  required  careful  and  prayerful  consideration  and 
could  not  be  hastily  accepted.  Moreover,  coming  as  it 
did,  it  could  not  be  declined,  except  for  very  cogent 
reasons.  A  visit  was,  therefore,  necessary  to  look  over 
the  field,  which  was  made  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1882. 

A  WEIRD  IMPRESSION 

An  incident  occurred  upon  the  morning  of  the  arrival 
of  the  prospective  missionary,  Friday,  April  28th,  which 
was  not  of  the  most  pleasing  character,  and  which  would 
not  tend  to  leave  the  most  favorable  impression  as  to  the 
character  of  Minneapolis,  upon  the  mind  of  a  stranger, 
and  which  he  has  never  been  able  to  forget.  Upon  leaving 
the  train  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  at  once  looked 
for  a  restaurant  to  get  breakfast.  He  soon  found  one 
about  a  block  from  the  station,  and  sat  down,  giving  his 
order  to  a  waiter.  A  man  came  hurrying  in  and  sat  down 
at  the  same  table  and  gave  a  rush  order,  remarking  at  the 
same  time,  "I  am  late  this  morning,  going  out  to  look  at 
that  fellow."  The  stranger  inquired,  "Is  there  anything 
new  this  morning?"  He,  supposing  him  to  be  a  regular 
boarder,  replied,  "Don't  you  know?  they  hung  a  fellow 
out  here  last  night;  he  is  still  there,  it  is  not  far,  you  can 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  31 

go  and  see  him."  The  stranger  told  him  that  he  had 
just  arrived  from  the  East.  By  that  time  the  man  had 
gulped  down  a  meager  breakfast,  and  rushed  off  to  work. 
The  proprietor,  who  had  overheard  the  conversation, 
came  in  with  his  own  breakfast  and  remarked,  "I  will 
explain."  He  then  told  the  story  of  a  brute,  McManus 
by  name,  who  the  day  before  had  been  guilty  of  a  heinous 
crime  on  a  little  girl,  that  he  had  been  caught  and  placed 
in  jail.  During  the  night  a  mob  gathered,  battered  down 
the  prison  doors,  took  the  man  to  the  house  where  his 
victim  lived  and  when  he  was  identified,  hung  him  to  a 
neighboring  tree.  "But,"  he  added,  "do  not  let  that  make 
a  bad  impression  with  respect  to  our  city,  we  do  not  be- 
lieve in  lynch  law."  Though  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  come  to 
the  "wild  and  wooly  West,"  the  incident  left  np  unpleasant 
impression,  especially  after  hearing  from  some  of  the 
leading  citizens,  that  the  miscarrying  of  justice  on  several 
occasions  during  the  several  previous  years,  so  exasper- 
ated the  citizens  that  they  were  carried  away  with  their 
feelings  and  determined  to  give  an  object  lesson  to  the 
authorities  by  taking  the  law  into  their  own  hands.  The 
impression  made  was  that,  where  such  things  occur,  there 
is  surely  room  for  more  religious  work. 


THE   NARRATIVE   CONTINUED 

Our  first  visit  was  to  the  Rev.  J.  Ternstedt,  the  pastor  of 
the  Augustana  (Swedish)  Church.  He  frankly  stated 
that  he  was  glad  an  English  congregation  was  to  be  estab- 
lished, but  that  it  must  be  in  connection  with  the  Augus- 
tana Synod.  This  was  not  in  harmony  with  the  idea  of 
the  chairman  of  the  Home  Mission  Committee  of  the 
General  Council.     While  the  work  should  be,  in  a  measure, 


32     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

in  co-operation  with  any  General  Council  Synod  or  Synods 
in  the  territory,  his  idea  was  that  the  English  congrega- 
tions should  stand  alone  until  there  were  a  sufficient  num- 
ber to  organize  an  entirely  English  Synod. 

With  these  conflicting  opinions  confronting  us,  we 
could  not  accept  the  cah1  or  even  seriously  consider  it, 
until  there  was  a  proper  understanding  between  the 
Committee  of  the  General  Council  and  the  Augustana 
Synod.  To  have  endeavored  to  begin  work  without  such 
an  understanding  would  have  caused  friction  from  the 
beginning,  and  would  have  prevented  the  organization  of 
any  English  congregation  for  some  time.  The  only  thing 
to  be  done,  therefore,  was  to  return  East  and  report. 

After  preaching  on  Sunday  evening  and  visiting  St. 
Paul  to  call  on  Rev.  A.  P.  Monten,  pastor  of  the  First 
Swedish  Church,  we  resolved  to  return  East.  Having 
several  hours  in  Chicago  we  went  to  the  home  of  Rev.  C. 
Koerner,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
and  in  his  study  prepared  our  report,  giving  the  reasons 
why  successful  mission  work  could  not  be  begun  until 
there  was  a  proper  understanding  with  the  Augustana 
Synod.    The  following  is  the  report: 

Report  on  a  visit  to  the  Northwest  by  Rev.  G.  H. 
Trabert,  with  the  view  of  organizing  an  English  Mission 
in  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

I  left  Lebanon,  Pa.,  Tuesday,  April  25,  1882,  and  arrived 
at  Pittsburgh  the  same  day,  where  I  met  Dr.  Passavant 
and  Rev.  E.  Belfour  with  whom  the  work  of  organizing 
an  English  mission  at  Minneapolis  was  discussed.  Left 
Pittsburgh  on  Wednesday,  April  27th,  at  2  p.  m.,  and 
arrived  at  Minneapolis  on  Friday  morning,  April  28th,  at 
7  o'clock.    After  breakfast  I  at  once  set  out  on  my  mission 


The  First  Missionary — Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  D.D. 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  33 

and  found  Rev.  J.  Ternstedt,  pastor  of  the  Swedish 
Augustana  Church,  to  whom  I  had  been  recommended, 
in  his  study,  who  received  me  kindly.  Upon  telling  him 
my  mission  he  expressed  surprise  that  the  General  Coun- 
cil's Committee  should  send  a  man  up  there  without  them, 
who  are  a  part  of  the  General  Council,  being  informed 
about  it,  and  in  spite  of  the  protest  of  the  Minnesota 
Conference  of  the  Swedish  Augustana  Synod,  reiterated 
at  its  last  meeting  and  more  strongly  asserted  than  at  the 
previous  one  and  which  was  sustained  by  the  Synod  and 
presented  to  the  General  Council  during  its  meeting  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1881. 

Rev.  Ternstedt  cordially  welcomed  me  and  at  once 
consented  that  I  should  preach  on  Sunday  evening,  but 
at  the  same  time  frankly  stated  that  under  no  circum- 
stances could  they  recede  from  their  position,  viz.:  that 
English  congregations  established  by  the  General  Council 
in  places  where  the  Augustana  Synod  is  represented,  and 
composed  mostly  of  material  from  their  body,  must  be 
founded  under  their  auspices  and  be  subject  to  the  disci- 
pline of  their  body.  The  reason  for  this  these  brethren 
regard  as  obvious.  In  order  to  save  many  of  their  young 
people  to  the  Church,  they  see  the  imperative  necessity  of 
establishing  English  congregations  as  speedily  as  possible, 
especially  in  the  large  centers  of  population,  where  the 
anglicizing  of  the  young  is  most  rapid.  They,  however, 
also  see  the  importance  of  having  those  congregations 
most  intimately  connected  with  themselves  in  order: 

1.  To  be  able  to  exercise  proper  discipline,  upon  which 
they  very  justly  lay  great  stress. 

2.  Looking  into  the  future,  they  cannot  but  realize  that 
in  a  comparatively  short  period  there  may  be  a  lull  in  the 
tide  of  immigration  by  which  the  growth  of  their  church 


34     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

will  be  retarded  and  also  that  many  English  congregations 
will  be  established  on  their  territory,  which,  if  those  con- 
gregations are  not  connected  with  their  body,  where  they 
naturally  belong,  will  leave  their  work  confined  entirely  to 
the  poor  immigrants,  thus  curtailing  their  influence  in  the 
community  and  the  country. 

3.  They  will  need  the  co-operation  of  those  English 
congregations  in  the  institutions  of  learning  and  benevo- 
lence which  they  support,  if  those  institutions  shall  be  as- 
sured of  a  prosperous  future;  whereas,  if  they  are  not  in- 
timately connected  with  them,  they  would  be  deprived 
of  the  influence  and  aid,  by  which  their  portion  of  the 
church  can  become  a  power  in  the  land. 

4.  They  see  the  importance  of  training  up  an  English 
ministry  as  speedily  as  possible,  but  if  the  congregations 
in  the  Northwest,  becoming  English  are  not  in  intimate 
connection  and  co-operation  with  them,  the  work  of  train- 
ing up  an  English  ministry  on  that  field  will  become  the 
more  difficult,  if  it  prove  not  entirely  abortive. 

They  are  not  at  all  opposed  to  the  General  Council's 
work  of  establishing  missions  on  their  territory,  but  are, 
on  the  contrary,  well  pleased  with  every  effort  made  to 
advance  our  Church,  but  they  desire  that,  on  their  ground, 
the  General  Council  cooperate  with  them  and  lend  them 
every  possible  assistance  in  the  work,  which  assistance 
they  so  much  need.  They  are  willing  to  receive  the  mis- 
sionary recommended  by  the  General  Council's  Com- 
mittee and  ratify  the  call  on  those  conditions,  and  are  very 
thankful  for  the  interest  and  support  of  the  General 
Council;  as  men  and  means  are  so  much  needed  by  them 
and  their  field  is  so  vast  and  continually  extending,  and 
they  will  aid  all  in  their  power  that  the  mission  so  es- 
tablished shall  be  a  success.    The  field  in  Minneapolis 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  35 

and  St.  Paul  is  very  promising  and  I  was  assured  that 
in  Red  Wing  and  at  other  points,  it  was  equally  so,  which 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt.  I  preached  on  Sunday  eve- 
ning to  a  crowded  house  and  there  is  intense  interest  on  the 
part  of  some  in  an  English  organization,  but  on  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth  above.  There  may  be  and  no  doubt  are 
some  who  have  emigrated  from  the  East  who  would  be 
interested  in  an  English  Lutheran  congregation  in  either 
of  those  places,  but  I  found  none  in  Minneapolis  who  for 
themselves  seemed  to  be  very  desirous  of  it,  although  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  such  an  organization  would 
have  the  hearty  support  of  many  in  the  community.  Our 
main  reliance  at  the  outset  would  be:  First  of  all  on  the 
young  people  of  foreign  churches,  principally  the  Swedes; 
then  on  gathering  in  from  the  world  as  many  as  we  can 
reach.  In  both  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  large  Sunday 
Schools  could  at  once  be  established.  In  both  those  places 
special  efforts  are  being  made  by  the  Episcopalians,  and 
still  more  directly  by  the  Congregation alists  to  anglicize 
and  proselyte  the  young  Scandinavians,  the  latter  having 
established  special  Sunday  Schools  for  them.  At  Minne- 
apolis there  are  considerably  over  a  hundred  Scandina- 
vians in  such  a  Congregational  School.  Professor  S. 
Oftedal,  of  the  Norwegian  College,  recently  visited  this 
school  and  inquired  into  the  nationality  of  those  present 
and  found  over  four-fifths  to  be  Swedes,  who  go  there 
simply  because  of  the  English  language,  a  large  proportion 
of  which,  the  Swedish  pastors  assert,  could  be  brought  back 
if  there  were  provision  made  for  them  in  English  in  the 
Lutheran  Church.  In  St.  Paul  the  pastor  told  me  that 
his  whole  Bible  Class,  composed  of  young  men  and  young 
ladies,  had  gone  bodily  to  the  Congregational  Sunday 
School,  because  of  the  English  language.     They  are  still 


36     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

communicants  in  the  Swedish  Church,  but  for  how  long 
they  will  remain  Lutherans,  under  their  present  influence 
is  only  a  question  of  time  and  shows  the  necessity  of  speedy 
action.  Those  brethren  see  and  feel  this  necessity,  but 
their  hands  are  so  full  and  there  is  so  much  required  of 
them  that  they  cannot  of  themselves  supply  it,  and  hence 
must  be  pained  to  see  many  who  should  be  giving  their  sup- 
port to  the  Lutheran  Church,  swallowed  up  by  the  sects. 

I  called  on  Professors  Oftedal  and  Sverdrop  of  the 
Norwegian  College  and  also  met  the  Norwegian  pastor, 
M.  F.  Gjertsen,  with  whom  the  whole  subject  was  gone 
over.  They  expressed  themselves  ready  to  give  whatever 
assistance  they  could  in  the  English  work.  Though  the 
necessity  among  the  Norwegians  is  not  so  pressing,  their 
eyes  are  open  to  it,  and  they  already  have  a  monthly 
English  service  in  which  the  Church  book  is  used  and 
which  they  have  on  sale  in  their  publication  office.  As 
soon  as  more  English  is  needed  for  their  people  it  will  be 
provided,  the  pastor  being  a  very  fine  and  fluent  English 
scholar,  but  they  urge  the  establishing  of  an  English 
Mission  as  an  absolute  necessity. 

The  Norwegian  Conference  to  which  these  brethren 
belong,  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  General  Council, 
although  as  yet  not  an  integral  part  of  it,  their  own 
synodical  affairs  hitherto  absorbing  all  their  attention 
so  that  they  were  unable  to  give  much  attention  looking 
to  a  union  with  a  general  body.  I  was,  however,  assured 
that  they  stood  on  the  same  basis  with  ourselves.  They 
endeavor  to  make  provision  for  the  English  as  rapidly 
as  the  need  is  felt,  the  instruction  in  their  college  being 
already  now  mostly  in  English  and  only  the  theological 
lectures  in  Norwegian.  But  it  requires  all  their  means 
and  energies  to  provide  for  the  increasing  immigration, 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  37 

hence  they  cannot  look  to  the  establishment  of  English 
missions  and  they  naturally  look  to  the  Church  in  the 
East  to  vigorously  begin  the  work.  Those  men  say. 
"If  our  Lutheran  Church  is  to  have  a  bright  future  in  this 
country  it  must  make  speedy  provision  for  services  in  the 
English  language  in  the  West  and  Northwest,  for  then 
alone  can  it  leave  a  permanent  impression  upon  the  whole 
people."  As  long  as  this  is  neglected  it  will  be  looked 
upon  as  a  foreign  church,  and  hence  will  exert  compara- 
tively little  influence.  "Why,"  said  the  Rev.  M.  F. 
Gjertsen,  "cannot  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  possesses 
the  whole  truth  of  God,  be  a  leavening  power  affecting  the 
whole  American  people?  But  as  long  as  we  do  not 
establish  missions  throughout  the  West  it  will  be  looked 
upon  as  a  foreign  church  and  will  fail  in  its  mission." 
Said  Professor  Sverdrop,  President  of  the  College  and 
Chairman  of  the  Theological  Faculty,  "The  church  in  the 
East  has  an  awful  responsibility  resting  upon  it  for  not 
providing  more  vigorously  for  the  English  language  in  the 
West.  There  are  many  towns  in  Minnesota  where  there 
is  scarcely  any  English  service  whatever  and  where  there 
is  an  absolute  hungering  after  the  pure  Gospel  on  the 
part  of  those  who  have  become  English,  and  also  many 
who  have  migrated  thither  from  the  East  and  are  de- 
prived of  church  privileges."  He  felt  convinced  that 
wherever  the  pure  doctrine  of  the  Lutheran  Church  was 
earnestly  preached  it  would  be  gladly  received  by  many, 
especially  since  at  the  present  day  there  is,  outside  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  so  little  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
people  being  entertained  with  polished  harangues  on 
striking  subjects,  but  receive  no  comfort  for  the  soul. 
The  opinion  of  those  brethren  is  well  worthy  of  our  regard 
for  they  are  on  the  ground  and  have  a  thorough  acquain- 


38     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

tance  with  the  whole  field;  besides,  they  are  representative 
men,  of  fine  culture  and  ability,  and  honored  in  the  com- 
munity. 

The  idea  of  these  Norwegian  Brethren  was  that  the 
General  Council  place  one  of  its  best  men,  and  giving  him 
a  liberal  support,  in  a  central  city  of  the  Northwest  to 
labor  as  a  sort  of  missionary  superintendent  and  establish 
English  missions  with  the  co-operation  of  those  General 
Council  Synods  already  on  the  ground,  placing  them 
under  their  care  and  thus  prosecute  the  work.  But  they 
said,  "Send  a  good  man,  a  man  of  experience  and  not  a 
novice,  for  that  is  the  way  we  do  mission  work  and  it  is 
the  only  successful  way."  This  would  also  be  satisfactory 
to  the  Swedish  Brethren. 

Having  become  perfectly  familiar  with  the  situation 
and  the  wants  of  that  vast  mission  field  and  also  the  feeling 
of  the  brethren  laboring  there,  my  present  mission  was 
accomplished  much  sooner  than  I  anticipated,  for  it 
was  altogether  impracticable  to  do  any  more  until  the  dis- 
turbing question,  as  to  under  what  auspices  the  mission 
in  Minneapolis  should  be,  is  finally  settled. 

For  any  one  to  go  there  and  attempt  to  build  up  an 
English  mission  without  regard  to  what  the  brethren 
on  the  ground  regard  as  their  right  and  independent  of  the 
Augustana  Synod,  a  member  of  the  General  Council,  will 
be  a  suicidal  policy.  By  such  a  course  a  congregation 
may  no  doubt,  in  the  course  of  time,  be  established,  but 
at  great  expense,  not  only  an  enormous  outlay  of  money, 
but  at  the  expense  of  the  alienation  of  friends  and  a 
possible  rupture  in  the  Church.  Meet  those  brethren  on 
their  ground,  however,  and  they  will  work  hand  in  hand 
with  us  and  the  Church  will  have  a  prosperous  future. 

There  must,  however,  be  no  unnecessary  delay,  for 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  39 

every  day  brings  untold  loss  and  a  loss  which  can  never 
be  repaired.  Still,  we  cannot  begin  until  the  vexed  ques- 
tion is  settled,  which  can  be  done  by  the  exercise  of  proper 
prudence  in  perhaps  a  very  short  time,  for  those  brethren 
are  ready  to  begin  at  once;  but,  say  they:  "Let  us  begin 
right  and  we  are  sure  it  will  succeed."  Chicago  was 
referred  to  as  having  been  begun  on  a  very  wrong  basis, 
and  hence  it  has  been  struggling  along  for  years,  and 
after  great  expenditure  is  still  a  struggling  mission, 
whereas  if  it  had  had  the  co-operation  and  support  of  the 
General  Council  pastors  in  the  city  it  might  today  be  in  a 
far  better  condition.  They  do  not  mean  that  the  English 
pastors  must  of  necessity  attend  the  meetings  of  the 
Augustana  Synod  and  listen  to  a  language  they  cannot 
understand;  they  can  and  should  render  their  report  to 
the  General  Council  Committee,  but  they  are  to  place 
themselves  on  the  Augustana  basis  and  be  in  active  con- 
nection with  it,  until  an  English  Conference  can  be 
organized  on  the  same  basis  and  in  active  co-operation 
with  them,  for  the  reasons  already  given.  Hence,  to  be 
assured  that  these  principles  are  carried  out  they  desire 
themselves  to  call  the  pastor,  asking  the  General  Council 
Committee's  co-operation,  and  they  will  very  gladly  con- 
sider and  respect  their  recommendation. 
In  view  of  the  above,  I  would  suggest,  first: 
That  the  General  Council's  Committee  very  seriously 
consider  the  suggestions,  requests  and  demands  of  those 
brethren  in  the  West,  which,  from  the  position  which  they 
occupy,  are  well  worthy  of  earnest  consideration,  and  en- 
deavor as  soon  as  possible  to  conform  to  their  wishes, 
which,  having  been  on  the  ground  and  carefully  and  im- 
partially looked  over  the  field,  I  think  are  in  the  main 
just,  so  that  the  work  of  establishing  English  Missions  on 


40     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

that  territory,  so  ripe  for  the  harvest,  be  not  unneces- 
sarily delayed  and  that  the  Church  work  together  in 
harmony  to  promote  the  Master's  Kingdom. 

Second,  I  would  also  suggest,  that,  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  matter  defining  the  Synodical  connection,  the  com- 
mittee correspond  with  Rev.  P.  Sjoeblom,  at  Red  Wing, 
Minn.,  President  of  the  Conference,  and  that  those  brethren 
be  urged  speedily  to  call  a  pastor  for  that  work,  and  that 
the  General  Council's  Committee,  together  with  St.  John's 
Sunday  School  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  guarantee  his  sup- 
port. If  this  is  done  the  work  can  be  speedily  begun  and 
with  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it  there  will  be,  in  a  very 
short  time,  a  number  of  self-sustaining  English  congre- 
gations in  that  field. 

G.  H.  Trabert. 

Lebanon,  May  5,  1882. 

Having  an  hour's  delay  between  trains  at  Pittsburgh, 
we  went  to  the  home  of  Dr.  Belfour,  Secretary  of  the 
Home  Mission  Committee  (Dr.  Passavant  being  out  of 
the  city),  and  handed  him  the  report.  Dr.  Passavant 
came  to  the  meeting  of  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania 
which  met  in  St.  John's  Church,  Philadelphia,  June  1, 
1882,  where  the  matter  was  talked  over.  After  remaining 
a  few  days,  he  hurried  westward  to  Altoona,  111.,  where  the 
Augustana  Synod  was  in  session,  in  order  to  consider  the 
English  situation  in  the  Northwest,  with  their  leading  men. 
The  result  of  the  visit  and  the  subsequent  action  of  the 
General  Council  cleared  up  the  matter,  so  that  when  the 
call  was  repeated  in  November  of  the  same  year  it  was 
carefully  considered  and  accepted. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Council  in  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  in  October,  1882,  the  rules  for  conducting  English 


INCEPTION  OF  THE  WORK  41 

Home  Mission  work  were  changed  and  certain  regula- 
tions adopted,  of  which  No.  5  reads:  "That  where  a 
mission  congregation  is  organized  out  of  material  from 
existing  churches  in  connection  with  the  General  Council, 
said  Mission  congregation,  together  with  its  pastor  shall 
belong  to  the  Synod  to  which  the  mother  church  belongs." 
Instead  of  an  Executive  Committee  of  Home  Missions,  to 
which  was  entrusted  all  the  Home  Mission  operations 
without  any  definite  plan  of  work,  an  English  Home 
Mission  Committee  was  provided  for,  which  was  located 
in  Philadelphia,  and  provision  was  made  for  a  regular 
income  w.'th  which  to  further  the  work.  By  this  action 
the  whole  :  natter  with  respect  to  establishing  English  Mis- 
sions in  the  Northwest  was  cleared  up,  for  a  while  at 
least,  so  that  the  work  could  be  taken  up  without  any 
friction  from  the  start. 


CHAPTER  IV 

EARLY   BEGINNINGS 

Soon  after  receiving  the  renewed  call  to  go  to  the 
Northwest  to  begin  the  work  of  establishing  English  con- 
gregations in  Minnesota,  Pastor  Trabert  presented  his 
resignation  to  Salem  Congregation,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  with  the 
request  that  it  be  accepted,  as  he  felt  constrained  to  ac- 
cept the  call.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt,  a 
student  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Philadelphia, 
heard  that  Mission  work  was  to  be  begun  in  Minnesota, 
and  he  wrote,  calling  special  attention  to  St.  Paul.  Upon 
request  he  visited  Lebanon  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  1882, 
and  gave  whatever  information  he  could  concerning  the 
field  and  the  importance  of  starting  work  without  delay, 
both  in  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul.  He  was  more  particu- 
larly acquainted  with  the  latter  city,  as  his  father,  General 
Herman  Haupt,  was  the  general  manager  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railway  which  was  then  being  built  from  Mandan, 
Dakota,  westward.  The  headquarters  were  in  St.  Paul, 
where  he  resided  and  where  his  son,  A.  J.  D.,  had  spent 
one  or  two  summers.  The  interview  showed  that  the 
young  man  would  spend  his  vacation  again  in  St.  Paul, 
and  that  he  was  willing  to  assist  in  advancing  the  work. 

Early  in  January  the  missionary  went  to  Minneapolis 
to  inaugurate  the  work  and  rent  a  house  for  his  family. 
The  Augustana  congregation  still  occupied  the  church, 
but  he  preached  on  Sunday  evening,  January  15th,  and 

42 


Rev.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt 


EARLY  BEGINNINGS  43 

was  able  also  to  hold  two  morning  services.  The  services 
were  advertised  and  there  was  a  fair  attendance,  but  the 
work  could  not  be  regularly  inaugurated  until  March. 
The  work  of  hunting  up  English  Lutherans  was  at  once 
begun.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  for  an  entire  stranger,  but 
by  making  use  of  the  daily  newspapers  and  following  up 
clues  received  from  friends  who  knew  of  persons  who  had 
moved  to  the  city,  a  few  were  found  who  still  seemed  to 
have  an  interest  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 

During  the  few  weeks  of  his  stay  he  reached  nearly 
every  part  of  Minneapolis,  although  it  was  terribly  cold. 
The  conclusion  was  soon  reached  that  the  hope  of  our 
English  Church  in  the  Northwest  rested  in  the  gathering 
in  of  the  young,  and  thus  building  up  the  Church  with 
entirely  new  material.  This  conclusion  was  verified 
by  later  experience,  and  after  thirty  years  he  finds  that 
comparatively  few  of  the  members  in  the  English  Lutheran 
congregations  can  trace  their  ancestry  to  Lutheran  stock 
coming  to  the  Northwest  from  Pennsylvania  and  other 
Eastern  states.  The  trend  of  Lutheran  emigration  from 
the  English  churches  in  the  East  was  not  then  North- 
westward, although  twenty-five  years  previously  a  number 
of  families  had  come  to  Minneapolis  who  had  been  brought 
up  in  Lutheran  congregations  in  Pennsylvania,  but  had 
identified  themselves  with  other  churches. 

The  interest  taken  by  the  Minnesota  Conference  of 
the  Augustana  Synod  in  the  establishing  of  English  con- 
gregations in  connection  with  said  Synod,  is  seen  in  the 
fact  that  they  authorized  their  executive  committee  to 
pay  the  rent  of  a  house  for  the  missionary,  amounting  to 
$35  a  month.  This  was  done  for  seven  months,  until 
the  house  on  the  lot  adjoining  the  church  was  vacated  and 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  two  rooms,  which  was  neces- 


44     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

sary  to  accommodate  the  pastor's  family.  They  also 
paid  for  the  repairs  and  addition  to  the  parsonage. 

After  remaining  for  a  month,  and  having  rented  a  house, 
the  missionary  returned  East  to  arrange  for  the  removal  of 
his  family  early  in  March,  and  then  take  hold  of  the  work 
in  earnest.  Knowing  the  difficulty  of  beginning  to  hold 
services  without  a  musical  instrument,  especially  where 
the  missionary  is  not  gifted  with  the  talent  to  act  as  a 
leader  in  singing,  and  where  many  of  the  melodies  are  new 
to  those  who  are  expected  to  attend  the  services,  a  hint 
was  given  to  several  of  the  members  of  "Old  Salem,"  who 
at  once  raised  the  money  as  a  parting  gift,  for  an  excellent 
chapel  organ,  which  was  shipped  in  the  same  car  with  the 
missionary's  furniture. 

On  March  6th  the  day  of  his  departure  arrived,  when  a 
throng  of  the  members  of  the  congregation,  and  other 
friends,  crowded  the  depot  to  say  farewell.  This  was  in- 
deed a  sad  matter  to  his  family,  and  to  the  congregation 
to  which  they  were  warmly  attached.  Looked  at  from  a 
temporal  standpoint,  it  was  a  forsaking  of  home  and  all 
the  attachments  of  more  than  half  a  lifetime,  a  forsaking 
of  all  the  comforts  incident  to  the  affection  of  a  large  and 
well-ordered  Christian  congregation,  in  order  to  go  to  a 
new  field  and  begin  the  work  of  building  up  a  congregation 
where  absolutely  nothing  existed.  Besides,  conditions 
were  so  entirely  different,  that  it  almost  seemed  like 
going  to  a  foreign  country,  to  begin  missionary  work 
among  an  entirely  unknown  people;  but  the  faithful  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel  asks  first  of  all,  "Where  does  duty 
call?"  Like  Paul  at  Troas,  he  does  not  continue  in  Asia 
when  the  cry  comes,  "Come  over  into  Macedonia  and 
help  us."  So  it  was  here.  The  work  of  extending  the 
Church  in  the  language  of  the  country,  in  the  vast  un- 


EARLY  BEGINNINGS  45 

occupied  field,  so  long  delayed,  should  be  delayed  no 
longer. 

At  noon  on  the  8th  of  March  they  reached  Minneapolis, 
where  they  were  met  by  Mr.  J.  K.  Seidel,  President  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth  and  of 
Lutheran  parentage,  but  whose  family  was  brought  up  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  at  once  took  them  to  his 
home,  where  the  family  was  made  comfortable  and  con- 
tinued from  Thursday  to  the  following  Monday,  when 
they  could  occupy  their  own  house.  This  incident  is  here 
recorded  as  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  those  kindhearted 
people  who  took  them  in  as  strangers  and  showed  them 
every  kindness  at  a  time  which  otherwise  would  have  been 
most  trying.  They  have  long  since  departed  this  life, 
but  will  always  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  the 
first  English  Lutheran  missionary  to  the  Northwest. 

On  Sunday,  March  nth,  the  first  service  was  held,  the 
Swedish  congregation  having  held  its  last  service  in  the 
church  the  previous  Sunday.  It  was  announced  in  the 
papers  that  regular  English  Lutheran  services  would  be 
begun  and  a  Sunday  school  started.  Seven  worshipers 
were  present  at  that  first  service.  In  the  afternoon  a 
Sunday  school  was  opened  with  the  same  number  in  at- 
tendance. It  was  indeed  the  day  of  small  things.  But 
while  there  were  but  few,  it  was  a  beginning,  and  the 
sacred  number  seven  proved  a  good  forecast  as  to  the 
future. 

As  the  call  included  St.  Paul  and  Red  Wing  the  mis- 
sionary visited  the  first  named  city  soon  after  his  arrival 
in  January,  and  preached  in  the  First  Swedish  Lutheran 
Church  on  the  evening  of  January  28th.  As  soon  as  his 
family  was  settled,  after  his  removal  from  the  East,  he 
again  visited  St.  Paul  with  a  view  of  beginning  work 


46     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

there.  His  purpose  was  to  strictly  comply  with  his  call, 
and  as  far  as  possible,  divide  his  time  between  the  three 
cities  named,  giving  the  largest  measure  to  the  place  that 
seemed  most  important. 

After  looking  over  the  city  for  a  few  days  he  tried  to 
secure  a  hall  in  which  to  begin  services,  but  without  suc- 
cess. While  it  would  be  difficult  to  begin  in  two  con- 
siderable cities  simultaneously,  there  was  the  promised 
assistance  during  the  summer,  and  it  was  hoped,  that  as 
soon  as  the  work  developed  somewhat,  the  Home  Mission 
Committee  would  call  another  man.  But  the  great 
difficulty  in  St.  Paul  was  to  secure  a  place  to  begin  services. 
Halls  were  to  be  had,  but  hardly  central  for  the  work,  and 
the  rents  were  so  enormous  that  the  missionary  concluded 
to  wait  until  the  student  A.  J.  D.  Haupt  arrived,  who  was 
acquainted  with  the  city.  Besides  calling  on  a  few 
families,  nothing  was  done  in  St.  Paul  until  the  latter 
part  of  May. 

About  May  18th  Mr.  Haupt  reached  home,  and  at  once 
came  to  Minneapolis  to  see  what  had  been  done  in  St. 
Paul,  and  to  offer  his  services  and  assist,  as  far  as  lay  in  his 
power,  in  furthering  the  work.  He  was  advised  of  the 
situation  and  requested,  if  possible,  to  secure  a  hall  for 
service.  He  succeeded  in  securing  the  dining  room  of  a 
hall  on  Wabasha  Street  for  which  nine  dollars  a  Sunday  was 
asked  and  paid.  It  was  an  enormous  sum  to  pay,  espe- 
cially before  any  congregation  had  been  gathered  and  for 
which  the  missionary  and  his  assistant  were  responsible. 

A  letter  was  addressed  to  Rev.  P.  Sjoblom,  pastor  of  the 
Swedish  Church  in  Red  Wing,  where  regular  English 
services  were  desired,  and  where  the  Episcopal  and  other 
churches  were  thriving  on  Lutheran  material,  requesting 
an  appointment  for  an  English  service  on  Friday  evening, 


EARLY  BEGINNINGS  47 

early  in  April.  From  that  time  on  services  were  regularly 
held  every  two  weeks,  always  on  Friday  evening,  in  the 
Swedish  Church,  with  a  very  good  attendance.  Pastor 
Sjoblom's  idea  was  that  no  effort  at  organization  of  a 
separate  congregation  should  be  attempted  until  a  de- 
cided English  sentiment  had  been  created  by  regular 
English  services,  and  until  an  English  class  had  been 
confirmed,  so  that  there  might  be  a  "swarm"  out  of  the 
Swedish  congregation  to  form  one  purely  English.  But 
his  plans  seemed  eutopian,  which  they  proved  to  be. 

While  the  beginnings  were  on  a  very  small  scale,  as  far 
as  the  number  ready  to  go  into  an  English  congregation 
was  concerned,  and  the  work  was  oftentimes  exceedingly 
trying,  because  of  the  peculiar  difficulties  which  pre- 
sented themselves,  the  missionary's  reception  by  the 
Swedish  pastors,  Ternstedt,  in  Minneapolis,  Monten, 
in  St.  Paul,  and  Sjoblom,  in  Red  Wing,  was  very  cordial, 
and  he  was  able  to  work  together  with  them  without  any 
friction.  Having  gained  their  confidence  from  the  begin- 
ning, he  always  retained  their  friendship. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  discover  that  any  congregations 
organized  at  that  time  would  be  made  up  almost  exclu- 
sively of  Swedish  material,  with  a  few  scattering  descend- 
ants of  other  nationalities  and  a  few  recent  arrivals  from 
the  older  portions  of  the  Church  in  the  East. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONS 

After  the  work  was  regularly  begun  by  the  holding 
of  service  and  organizing  a  Sunday  school  in  Minneapolis, 
the  one  aim  before  the  mind  was  the  organization  of  a 
congregation.  For  this  material  had  to  be  found,  which 
at  first  seemed  very  meager.  Regular  services  had  been 
held  for  two  months  without  any  effort  to  organize,  but 
the  time  had  come  that,  if  the  work  was  to  progress  there 
must  be  an  organized  head  around  which  others  could 
cluster  and  say,  "this  is  our  Church."  On  May  20,  1883, 
Trinity  Sunday,  it  was  resolved  to  call  a  meeting,  which 
was  held  on  May  22nd,  looking  to  the  organization  of  a 
congregation.  Those  present  at  the  meeting  and  the  one 
held  a  week  later,  when  the  organization  was  perfected 
by  the  adoption  of  a  Constitution,  were  indeed  an  inter- 
esting number  of  men.  The  first  was  of  Swedish  stock,  a 
member  of  the  Augustana  congregation,  who  was  ad- 
vised by  his  pastor  to  join  the  English  work.  He  is  now 
a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Minnesota.  The  second 
was  a  retired  General  Synod  minister  of  the  East  Ohio 
Synod,  who  was  residing  temporarily  in  the  city.  The 
third  was  a  young  man  from  Dayton,  Ohio,  who  the  fol- 
lowing year  again  returned  East.  The  fourth  was  a  Nor- 
wegian professor  in  the  Augsburg  Seminary,  who  had 
married  an  English  wife.  The  fifth  was  a  young  German, 
who  understood  English  fairly  well,  who  soon  after  went 
farther   West.    The   sixth    and   seventh  were  Pennsyl- 

48 


Rev.  P.  Sjoblom,  D.D. 


THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONS  49 

vanians,  one  from  Lehighton  and  one  from  Bloomsburg. 
Articles  of  Incorporation  were  entered  for  record  on 
June  8th,  by  which  the  First  English  Lutheran  Church 
in  the  metropolis  of  the  Northwest  gained  official  recog- 
nition. 

Though  the  number  was  small,  it  nevertheless  gave 
the  congregation  a  legal  existence,  and  when  a  week 
later  the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  there  were  already 
ten  communicants  and  a  young  man  was  confirmed, 
being  the  first  fruits  of  the  mission. 

The  question  as  to  the  name  of  the  congregation  was 
easily  solved,  when  the  missionary  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  one-half  of  his  support  came  from  the  Sunday 
School  Association  of  the  oldest  purely  English  congre- 
gation in  the  country,  which  bore  the  name  of  St.  John's. 
It  was,  therefore,  unanimously  decided  that  the  first 
purely  English  Lutheran  Church  in  Minneapolis  should 
bear  the  same  name,  in  honor  of  St.  John's  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

While  the  charter  members  comprised  only  two  of 
Scandinavian  birth,  the  hope  of  the  young  congregation 
consisted  in  the  gathering  of  the  young  people  of  those 
nationalities,  many  of  whom  were  drifting  into  other 
churches.  This  grew,  on  the  part  of  some  at  least,  out  of 
the  desire  to  learn  the  English  language,  and  different 
churches  arranged  to  have  Bible  classes  on  Sunday  after- 
noons exclusively  for  young  Scandinavians,  by  which 
means  they  drew  many  into  their  congregations.  Our 
English  work  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  young 
people  did  not  need  to  go  away  from  their  own  church  in 
order  to  acquire  the  English,  and  so  at  least  one  leak  was 
stopped  when  an  English  Lutheran  congregation  was 
organized.    By  the  organization  of  a  Scandinavian  English 


50     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Bible  Class,  which  met  every  Sunday  afternoon,  a  large 
number  left  the  Congregational  Bible  Class  and  came  to 
the  English  Lutheran.  Two  of  the  members  of  that  class 
subsequently  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

In  St.  Paul  the  first  service  was  held  June  3d.  It  had 
been  advertised  in  the  papers  and  nine  persons  came  to 
the  meeting.  An  offering  was  taken  up  and  the  amount 
of  the  rent  of  the  hall,  $9.00,  was  raised.  Several  of  those 
present  were  from  a  small  colony  of  Lutherans  from  Mor- 
risburg,  Ontario,  who  had  settled  on  the  west  side.  Steps 
were  soon  taken  to  effect  an  organization  which  was  com- 
pleted and  the  congregation  incorporated  by  the  24th  of 
July,  1883.  The  number  seven  figured  as  promimently 
in  St.  Paul  as  in  Minneapolis  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  congregation. 

A  serious  handicap  was  the  enormous  hall  rent,  and 
efforts  were  made  at  once  to  find,  if  possible,  a  suitable  lot 
and  building.  Without  a  dollar  to  start  with,  and  thrown 
upon  your  own  resources  in  a  new  work  among  strangers, 
it  was  only  implicit  faith  in  the  promises  of  God  that 
could  lead  to  success.  The  missionary  entrusted  the 
management  of  the  work  in  St.  Paul  largely  to  student 
Haupt,  who  consulted  with  him  with  respect  to  every 
move  to  be  made.  Services  were  held  every  Sunday 
morning,  the  missionary  preaching  on  alternate  Sundays 
when  Mr.  Haupt  would  preach  in  Minneapolis. 

On  June  28th  a  lot  was  found  and  purchased.  It  was 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  but  the  venture  required  a 
great  deal  of  faith  when  the  price  of  $5500  is  considered, 
of  which  $2200  was  required  in  cash.  Sixty  days  was  the 
limit  of  time  in  which  to  raise  the  amount.  When  the 
sixtieth  day  came  the  money  was  in  hand.  But  what  was 
to   be  done  for  a  building?    Mr.  Haupt  found  a  little 


THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONS  51 

school  building,  a  few  blocks  from  the  church,  advertised 
for  sale.  It  was  called  the  Baldwin  School,  in  which  it  was 
said  that  Mrs.  Grover  Cleveland,  who,  in  later  years,  as 
wife  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  graced  the 
White  House,  had,  as  a  child,  recited  her  lessons.  This 
was  purchased  on  July  28th.  By  dint  of  hard  work  the 
desks  were  removed  the  same  day  and  the  next  day 
service  was  held  there. 

The  building  was  removed  to  the  lot  and  neatly  fixed  up 
and  on  September  23d  was  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God. 
It  was  the  first  dedication  of  an  English  Lutheran  Church 
in  the  Northwest.  That  was  indeed  a  great  day  for 
English  Lutheranism  in  St.  Paul.  The  missionary  went 
to  St.  Paul  on  Saturday  to  see  that  everything  was  in  order 
for  that  important  event.  As  he  walked  along  Sixth 
Street  he  was  surpised  to  see  coming  toward  him  the  Rev. 
W.  K.  Frick,  with  whom  he  had  been  asociated  in  the 
Alumni  Association  of  the  Philadelphia  Theological 
Seminary.  Mr.  Frick  had  been  called  as  English  profes- 
sor in  Gustavus  Adolphus  College,  St.  Peter,  and  on  his 
way  thither  stopped  over  for  a  day  or  two  to  visit  his 
relatives  in  St.  Paul.  He  came  at  the  psychological 
moment  which  would  at  once  identify  him  with  the 
mission  work  in  the  Northwest,  for  the  next  day  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  dedication  of  the  First  Memorial  Church 
Building.  The  congregation  was  called  the  Memorial 
English  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  St.  Paul,  in 
commemoration  of  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
birth  of  the  great  Reformer  Martin  Luther. 

For  three  years  these  were  the  only  English  Lutheran 
congregations  organized  in  the  Northwest.  But  much 
foundation  work  was  being  done  looking  to  the  expansion 
of  the  work. 


52     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

While  the  charter  members  of  the  first  congregations 
did  not  include  many  Scandinavians,  there  being  but  two 
in  Minneapolis  and  none  in  St.  Paul,  it  was  soon  apparent 
that  particularly  in  the  former  city,  the  majority  that 
would  make  up  the  congregation,  during  the  first  years  at 
least,  would  be  of  Scandinavian  stock.  Two-thirds  of 
the  number  making  up  the  catechetical  classes  were  the 
children  of  either  Swedish  or  Norwegian  parents,  the 
former  predominating.  In  St.  Paul  this  was  not  so  appa- 
rent, the  population  being  possibly  more  mixed,  with  the 
Germans  predominating. 

Immediately  after  the  dedication  of  the  little  chapel 
Mr.  Haupt  returned  to  Philadelphia  to  complete  his  theo- 
logical course.  From  the  latter  part  of  September,  1883, 
until  June  26,  1884,  the  missionary,  residing  in  Min- 
neapolis, had  entire  charge  of  both  congregations,  preach- 
ing on  alternate  Sundays  in  St.  Paul,  besides  every  other 
Friday  evening  in  Red  Wing.  In  addition  to  preaching 
and  canvassing  the  cities,  as  far  as  time  would  permit, 
classes  of  catechumens  were  instructed  in  the  three  places. 
But  it  is  difficult  for  one  man  to  do  the  work  of  three,  as 
each  city  should  have  had  its  separate  missionary.  But 
the  work  was  not  only  kept  alive,  there  was  advance- 
ment. By  the  time  St.  John's  in  Minneapolis  was  one 
year  old  there  were  24  communicant  members,  and 
Memorial,  St.  Paul,  had  15  and  a  class  of  catechumens 
had  been  confirmed  at  Red  Wing,  although  there  was  no 
organized  English  congregation.  They  were  all  young 
people  from  the  Swedish  congregation  and  their  names 
were  recorded  in  the  Swedish  Church  record. 

On  May  18,  1884,  Memorial  congregation  extended  a 
formal  call  to  Mr.  Haupt  to  become  its  pastor  as  soon  as 
he  was  ordained  in  June.    They  promised  to  pay  $100 


THE  FIRST  CONGREGATIONS  53 

toward  his  salary,  which  was  supplemented  to  some 
extent  by  the  Home  Mission  Committee.  The  call 
was  accepted,  and  on  July  6th  he  was  regularly  installed. 
This  added  a  second  pastor  to  the  missionary  force  in  the 
Northwest. 


CHAPTER  VI 

FAITH  REWARDED 

The  beginning  of  English  Lutheranism  in  the  North- 
west is  in  some  respects  unique.  The  need  was  seen 
and  felt  by  many,  but  the  means  to  carry  it  forward  had 
to  come,  to  a  very  great  extent,  from  the  church  in  the 
East,  as  the  large  majority  of  those  making  up  the  Luth- 
eran population  in  the  states  of  Wisconsin,  Minnesota 
and  westward  to  the  Pacific  coast,  was  composed  of  differ- 
ent nationalities,  most  of  whom  had  but  recently  come 
to  this  country.  They  were  German,  Swedish,  Nor- 
wegian, Danish  and  Icelandic,  with  a  sprinkling  of  Finnish 
and  Slovak,  all  of  which  had  their  hands  more  than  full 
in  caring  for  their  own,  and  many,  from  force  of  circum- 
stances, were  uncared  for.  It  was,  therefore,  impossible 
for  any  mission  to  assume  large  financial  obligations,  and 
yet,  owing  to  the  value  placed  upon  eligible  building  lots 
at  that  time,  a  large  amount  of  money  was  required  to 
secure  an  anchorage  in  any  western  city.  Who  was  to 
assume  the  responsibility?  There  was  at  the  time  a 
feeble  Church  Extension  Society  in  Philadelphia,  organized 
especially  for  local  work  and  which  could  not  assist  any 
enterprise  with  any  considerable  amount  of  money.  The 
feeble  missions  organized  could  assume  no  obligations. 
That  it  was  a  work  of  faith  and  one  which  required  heroic 
courage  is  seen  from  what  follows. 

The  property  that  had  been  secured  in  Minneapolis 
by  Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant,  and  was  held  by  him,  cost 

54 


FAITH  REWARDED  55 

$9000.  This  was  to  be  deeded  to  the  congregation,  as 
soon  as  organized,  with  certain  restrictions  and  they  were 
to  give  a  mortage  at  6  per  cent,  interest,  payable  semi- 
annually. The  insurance  on  the  church  had  to  be  kept 
up  and  the  missionary  was  in  some  way  to  raise  the 
interest  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  on  the  field.  The 
following  table  shows  the  amount  the  congregation  was 
able  to  contribute  during  the  first  five  years  of  its  ex- 
istence, and  also  the  amount  of  current  expenses,  ex- 
clusive of  pastoral  support.  These  amounts  do  not  in- 
clude special  efforts  for  special  purposes  and  improve- 
ments, and  the  contributions  for  missions  and  other  be- 
neficent objects  are  given  in  a  separate  column: 

Receipts.  Current  Expenses.      Benevolence. 

1883 $    95.31  $59-77  $    2.25 

1884 126.27  98.46  11.00 

1885 266.22  96.10  34-25 

1886 376.17  146.58  68.97 

1887 431.02  127.12  70.20 

Total $1294.99  $528.03  $186.67 

During  the  same  period  the  interest,  taxes  on  the 
parsonage  and  for  city  improvements,  and  insurance 
amounted  to,  in — 

1883 $  857.00 

1884 610.23 

1885 990.23 

1886 810.00 

1887 824.63 

Total $4092.09 

The  total  amount  of  expenditures  for  current  expenses, 
interest,  taxes  and  insurance  during  the  first  five  years  of 
the  congregation's  existence   amounted  to  $4620.12,  and 


56     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

the  regular  income  of  the  congregation  for  the  same 
period,  not  including  the  offerings  for  benevolence,  was 
$1294.99,  leaving  $3325.22  to  be  provided  for  by  special 
effort,  for  which  the  missionary  made  himself  responsible. 
This  does  not  include  money  that  had  to  be  raised  for 
repairs  and  improvements  on  the  building. 

To  show  how  the  Lord  rewards  faith  an  incident  is  here 
given  which  occurred  in  the  Spring  of  1885:  Our  taxes,  on 
account  of  165  lineal  feet  of  sewer,  in  addition  to  the 
regular  assessment  was  nearly  $200,  which  had  to  be  paid 
by  June  1st.  Besides,  there  were  other  obligations,  mak- 
ing the  whole  amount  to  be  raised  in  thirty  days  $500. 
The  matter  was  laid  before  the  congregation,  when  one 
of  the  leading  members  remarked:  "Let  us  sell  out  and 
pay  our  debts  and  disband."  The  missionary  replied: 
"We  are  not  here  for  that  purpose.  We  will  not  sell  out 
and  disband.  Let  us  have  faith.  The  Lord  has  helped 
us  in  the  past,  he  will  help  us  now.  In  thirty  days  we 
will  have  the  $500."  "Well,"  was  the  reply,  "if  you  can 
raise  it,  all  right."  A  letter  was  sent  to  the  Lutheran 
clearly  stating  the  case,  especially  with  respect  to  the 
enormous  tax  bill.  Then  the  several  members  who 
could  contribute  anything  were  seen  and  about  fifty  dol- 
lars raised.  A  gentleman  in  New  York  was  so  touched 
with  the  letter  in  the  Lutheran  that  he  sent  a  check  for 
$  1 7  5  toward  the  taxes .  Friends  in  Minneapolis— not  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church — were  seen,  and  when  the 
time  had  expired  the  taxes  were  paid  and  the  other  obliga- 
tions met;  in  short,  the  Lord  had  provided  the  needed 
$500.  Other  similar  experiences  with  respect  to  the  work 
in  Minneapolis  could  be  recorded.  The  same  can  be  said 
of  the  work  in  St.  Paul.  It  was  a  work  of  faith.  Mention 
has  been  made  of  the  lot  for  a  church  that  was  purchased 


FAITH  REWARDED  57 

by  Mr.  Haupt  for  $5500,  of  which  $2200  was  to  be  cash, 
the  limit  being  sixty  days.  Mr.  Haupt  went  about  to 
collect  that  money.  He  received  several  pretty  liberal 
subscriptions  in  the  city,  and  also  different  amounts  from 
friends  in  the  East.  But  $2200  is  not  a  small  amount  to 
raise  to  purchase  a  lot  in  a  city  where  there  is  little  sym- 
pathy for  English  Lutheran  work.  But  the  student  mis- 
sionary kept  heroically  at  it,  coupling  earnest  prayer  with 
sincere  faith  that  the  Lord  would  provide  what  was 
needed.  When  the  last  day  came  there  was  just  $225 
wanting.  Committing  the  matter  into  the  Lord's  hands, 
he  started  out  to  raise  the  balance  still  needed.  By  noon 
he  had  $110,  and  as  the  deal  had  to  be  closed  he  bor- 
rowed $115  for  one  week.  But  right  here  we  see  how 
the  Lord  tries  the  faith  of  His  children  and  always  fulfils 
His  promises.  He  says:  "Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of 
trouble  and  I  will  deliver  thee  and  thou  shalt  glorify  me" 
(Ps.  50:15). 

At  the  same  time  Pastor  Trabert  in  Minneapolis  was 
busy  raising  money  to  pay  interest,  taxes  for  two  years  and 
for  necessary  improvements,  but  with  an  eye  also  upon  the 
needs  of  the  work  in  St.  Paul.  This  was  kept  before  the 
eyes  of  the  church  as  much  as  the  other  and  the  special 
need  to  secure  that  lot  was  laid  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
people  through  the  Lutheran. 

On  the  day  the  $2200  fell  due  and  had  to  be  paid, 
he  received  letters  containing  just  $115.  Knowing  that 
payment  had  to  be  made  on  that  day  he  hastened  to  St. 
Paul  and  learned  that  the  amount  he  had  toward  mak- 
ing up  what  was  needed  was  the  exact  amount  Mr.  Haupt 
had  borrowed  that  afternoon,  to  be  returned  in  one  week. 
Surely  the  Lord  was  in  it  all  and  to  Him  belongs  all  the 
praise. 


58     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Looking  back  over  those  early  days  of  self-denying  effort 
to  build  up  the  Church,  and  seeing  how  the  work  has  pros- 
pered in  spite  of  the  almost  insurmountable  difficulties 
which  from  time  to  time  came  in  the  way,  we  see  how 
wonderfully  the  Lord  sustains  those  who  truly  trust  in 
Him,  and  rewards  the  faith  of  those  who  call  upon  Him 
in  truth.  It  was  all  of  God's  grace  and  mercy,  because 
the  cause  was  and  is  His,  and  that  He  desired  men  to  be 
saved  by  coming  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  that 
the  Church  in  the  English  language  took  root  and  grew 
and  prospered.  Let  no  one,  therefore,  despise  the  day  of 
small  things.  Let  not  God's  servants  be  discouraged, 
however  dark  the  outlook  may  be.  Being  assured  that 
the  cause  is  His,  let  them  go  forward  in  faith,  trusting 
His  word  and  committing  all  to  His  care.  All  He  requires 
is  to  go  forward  in  the  line  of  duty,  not  shrinking  back 
because  of  difficulties,  but  facing  the  difficulties  as  they 
arise,  and  by  the  exercise  of  tact,  trust  to  His  guidance, 
leaving  the  outcome  entirely  to  Him. 

Along  the  whole  pathway  of  the  English  work  in  the 
Northwest,  and  especially  in  its  beginnings,  we  see  the 
triumph  of  faith  in  Christ,  who  never  for.sakes  His  people. 


CHAPTER  VII 

HOW  EXPENSES   WERE   MET 

After  doing  their  best,  where  the  members  of  a  Mission 
congregation  are  neither  numerous  nor  wealthy,  they 
cannot  raise  large  sums  for  new  churches,  nor  necessary 
improvements.  The  current  expenses  even,  if  they  are 
not  so  very  large,  must  be  met,  and  it  requires  money  to 
meet  them.  The  proprietor  of  a  hall  demands  his  rent, 
and  if  there  is  a  church  building,  it  requires  fuel  and  light 
to  make  it  comfortable  and  that  it  serve  its  purpose. 
The  missionary  cannot  always  go  out  and  collect  the 
money  for  everything  that  is  needed.  Neither  can  he 
always  secure  some  one  to  open  and  close  the  church  and 
prepare  it  for  service.  Oftentimes  there  is  no  janitor 
to  be  had  nor  is  there  money  at  hand  to  pay  him.  If  wood 
is  used  for  fuel,  as  was  the  case  in  Minneapolis  when  the 
work  was  started,  it  sometimes  even  occurs  that  he  must 
shake  the  saw  and  swing  the  ax,  besides  making  the  fire 
to  warm  the  church,  and  light  the  lamps,  where  there  is 
neither  electricity  nor  gas.  Nor  is  he  loath  to  do  this,  if 
it  becomes  necessary,  in  order  to  establish  the  Church. 
It  is,  of  course,  very  unwise  for  a  minister  to  do  work  that 
can  as  easily,  or  perhaps  better,  be  done  by  some  one  else. 
It  is  always  the  wisest  plan,  even  in  the  beginning,  to  try 
and  secure  some  one  interested  in  the  work  to  do  the 
mechanical  part  and  to  assist  in  every  way  possible  for 
the  promotion  of  the  services.  As  soon  as  you  can  get 
some  one  to  do  something,  however  trifling  it  may  seem, 

59 


60     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

you  have  promoted  in  him  interest  in  the  work.  But  as 
long  as  this  cannot  be  done,  the  missionary  must  be  willing 
to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  make  the  people,  who  are 
expected  to  come  to  the  service,  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible. 

It  was  fortunate  that  the  first  English  missionaries  in 
the  Northwest  were  somewhat  skilled  in  the  use  of  tools, 
and  were  not  afraid  to  take  hold  with  their  hands  when- 
ever necessary.  When  the  Baldwin  School  House  was 
purchased  in  St.  Paul,  to  be  converted  into  a  chapel, 
there  was  no  one  to  prepare  it  for  the  first  service  but 
Mr.  Haupt.  He  fell  to  work  in  earnest,  removed  the 
desks,  scrubbed  the  floor,  secured  chairs,  all  in  one  day, 
so  that  it  could  be  used  the  next.  But  to  be  used  as  a 
church  it  needed  an  altar,  pulpit  and  rail.  There  was  no 
money  in  hand  to  at  once  purchase  these,  so  the  mis- 
sionary secured  some  lumber  and  made  them,  and  after 
they  were  painted  the  little  building  had  quite  a  churchly 
appearance. 

When  about  the  same  time  the  church  was  being  re- 
paired in  Minneapolis,  the  pulpit  and  lectern  were  built 
by  the  missionary  and  after  thirty  years  are  still  in  ex- 
istence and  in  use.  Not,  indeed,  in  the  same  church,  for 
when  Salem  Church  was  built  in  1889,  altar,  pulpit  and 
lectern  were  sent  there.  When  that  congregation  was  in 
position  to  get  new  altar  furniture  and  St.  Mark's  Church 
was  built,  they  did  good  service  there,  where,  after  thirty 
years,  the  pulpit  is  still  in  use,  although  somewhat  changed, 
and  the  altar  is  doing  service  at  Albert  Lea. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  other  articles  necessary 
for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  have  had  quite  an  itiner- 
ary. The  Rev.  Dr.  J.  A.  Kunkleman  had  labored  in  a 
Mission   in   Lincoln,   Neb.    He   had   received,   through 


HOW  EXPENSES  WERE  MET  6l 

interested  friends,  a  chapel  organ,  a  communion  service 
and  a  pulpit  Bible.  When  he  removed  from  there  he 
donated  the  organ  to  the  mission  in  St.  Paul  and  the 
communion  service  and  Bible  to  the  Mission  in  Minne- 
apolis. The  organ  is  still  in  use  in  St.  Paul,  but  the  com- 
munion service  has  been  moved  from  place  to  place. 
When  St.  John's  secured  a  new  one,  Salem  became  pos- 
sessor of  the  old,  with  the  understanding  that  when  it  is 
no  more  needed  there,  it  go  to  another  mission.  When 
Salem  secured  a  new  one,  it  went  to  St.  Mark's  on  the  same 
conditions.  When,  later,  St.  Mark's  no  longer  needed  it, 
it  went  to  Trinity  and  from  there  to  the  Holy  Communion, 
all  in  the  same  city.  The  Bible,  after  years  of  service  in 
St.  John's,  was  presented  to  St.  Mark's. 

The  matter  of  meeting  expenses  is  always  a  serious 
problem  where  the  mission  congregation  is  small,  and  the 
people,  upon  the  whole,  in  poor  circumstances;  as  was  the 
case  in  the  Northwest  when  the  work  was  commenced. 
When  a  chapel  was  to  be  built  the  outside  public  had  to 
be  drawn  upon,  because  there  were  few  Lutherans  on  the 
ground  who  could,  or  were  disposed  to,  assist.  The  fact 
that  the  existing  congregations  were  in  many  cases  not 
strong,  and  composed  largely  of  immigrants  of  the  several 
nationalities,  in  itself  prevented  their  giving  any  aid  to  an 
English  mission.  While  it  was  oftentimes  difficult  to  col- 
lect money,  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  secure  material. 
When  the  missionary  undertook  to  build  a  church  on  the 
west  side  of  the  city,  where  a  new  residence  section  was 
rapidly  filling  up,  and  where  a  friend  of  the  cause  had, 
under  the  pastor's  direction,  purchased  a  lot  and  held 
it  until  a  congregation  was  organized,  when  it  was  trans- 
ferred and  a  mortgage  taken  for  the  price,  it  would  have 
been  very  difficult  to  have  collected  a  great  deal  of  money 


62     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

for  the  same.  While  some  money  was  collected,  it  was  less 
than  a  thousand  dollars,  and  yet,  when  the  building  was 
completed,  all  was  paid  except  $400  out  of  $2400  that  it 
cost.  The  plans  had  been  drawn  by  pastor  Haupt,  who 
was  his  own  architect  and  who  was  willing  to  assist  others. 
These  were  taken  to  a  Lutheran  builder  who  made  out  a 
list  of  lumber  and  mill  work.  This  list  was  taken  to  differ- 
ent lumbermen,  who  selected  what  they  were  willing  to 
give,  and  so  practically  the  whole  amount  of  lumber  was 
secured.  A  man  who  owned  a  stone  quarry  furnished 
nearly  all  the  stone  for  the  foundation,  including  the 
hauling;  another  stone  firm  furnished  the  corner  stone. 
The  linseed  oil  mill  furnished  all  the  paint,  and  a  brick 
manufacturer,  the  brick  for  the  chimneys.  A  wholesale 
hardware  firm  supplied  most  of  the  nails  and  another  firm 
the  balance,  while  a  lime  manufacturer  furnished  the  lime 
for  the  plastering.  A  reliable  stone  mason  and  bricklayer 
built  the  foundation  and  chimneys  at  a  reasonable  figure, 
while  a  carpenter,  a  member  of  St.  John's  congregation, 
which  was  still  a  mission,  was  secured  as  foreman  and 
superintended  the  building.  In  this  way  expenses  were 
reduced  to  the  minimum,  and  when  the  following  Spring  a 
congregation  was  organized,  the  property  they  secured 
post  them  little  more  than  the  lot. 

When,  some  years  later,  there  was  a  promising  field 
which  needed  immediate  attention,  a  very  desirable  lot 
was  purchased,  for  which  the  money  was  borrowed  from 
a  prominent  business  man.  There  was  as  yet  no  organi- 
zation, but  had  no  advantage  been  taken  of  the  oppor- 
tunity which  offered  at  the  time,  what  cost  $1500  could 
not  have  been  secured  for  several  hundred  dollars  more, 
and  the  very  excellent  location  would  have  been  lost. 
The  same  method  for  the  building  of  a  church  was  fol- 


HOW  EXPENSES  WERE  MET  63 

lowed  and  about  $1200  worth  of  material  solicited.  It 
was  only  a  few  years  until  a  flourishing  self-supporting  con- 
gregation was  established.  It  often  cost  great  self-denial 
and  even  hardship  to  the  missionary  to  take  advantage 
of  opportunities  for  the  planting  of  the  Church,  as  it  was 
done  without  any  aid  from  a  Church  Extension  Society. 
Even  if  such  aid  had  been  available,  the  opportunity  might 
have  been  lost  while  the  negotiations  were  pending. 

One  great  feature  in  mission  work  in  a  new  field  is  to 
know  how  to  keep  down  expenses,  and  not  overburden  a 
young  congregation  with  a  heavy  debt.  Such  a  debt  saps 
the  life  out  of  the  people  and  blunts  their  interest  in  the 
beneficent  operations  of  the  Church.  It  cannot  well  be 
otherwise,  because  they  must  strain  every  nerve  to  make 
up  interest  and  provide  for  paying  church  debts  which 
sometimes  hang  over  them  as  an  incubus  for  many  years. 

It  was  the  aim  of  the  missionary  in  Minneapolis  to  have 
the  debt  of  the  Mission  congregations  as  small  as  pos- 
sible. In  almost  every  new  enterprise  some  debt  must,  as 
a  rule,  be  incurred.  A  small  debt  is  not  always  an  evil, 
but  will  sometimes  prove  a  spur  to  the  mission  to  work  all 
the  harder  for  its  success,  so  as  to  get  rid  of  it  as  soon  as 
possible.  But  where  the  congregation  is  weak,  unless  there 
is  some  individual  to  make  himself  responsible,  until  the 
congregation  has  gathered  strength  enough  to  assume  the 
burden  without  embarrassment,  the  incurring  of  a  heavy 
debt  is  a  suicidal  policy. 

The  argument  is  sometimes  made,  that,  in  a  large  city, 
where  there  are  imposing  churches  of  the  different  Re- 
formed denominations  it  is  necessary  for  the  Lutheran 
Mission  congregation  to  build  a  fine  church  in  order  to 
compete  with  the  other  well-established  churches.  This 
idea  of  competition  has  been  the  cause  of  missions  being 


64     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

loaded  down  with  debts  of  from  $15,000  to  $30,000  which 
at  6  per  cent,  interest  meant  from  $900  to  $1800  a  year 
interest,  in  addition  to  the  support  of  the  pastor,  which 
latter  had  to  be  almost  entirely  borne  by  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions.  In  some  cases  there  was  a  Church 
Extension  loan  of  perhaps  one-half  the  amount,  so  that  the 
annual  burden  was  less;  nevertheless  the  debt  was  there 
and  had  to  be  paid  in  due  time. 

The  argument  of  competing  with  existing  churches  for 
the  purpose  of  attracting  members  is  altogether  unworthy 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  If  persons  are  at- 
tracted by  the  style  of  the  building  they  are  actuated  by  an 
unworthy  motive.  The  Lutheran  Church  has  something 
better  to  offer;  and  if  the  faith  which  she  preaches  does 
not  move  the  heart,  and  lead  men  to  unite  with  her,  they 
lack  the  first  principles  of  true  Christian  character. 
When  once  a  congregation  has  gathered  strength  to  do  so, 
then  let  it  build  the  finest  edifice  it  can  afford  and  God  will 
be  honored  by  it.  Many  a  mission  congregation  has  in  the 
course  of  years  become  discouraged,  because  of  financial 
burdens  it  was  scarcely  able  to  bear. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DIFFICULTIES   IN   THE   WAY 

The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  organizing  and  building 
up  English  Lutheran  congregations  in  a  large  city,  where 
there  are  large  and  influential  congregations  of  the  several 
Reformed  denominations,  are  often  very  formidable. 
There  may  be  strong  Lutheran  congregations  of  several 
nationalities,  but  the  Church  is  not  known  in  the  language 
of  the  country.  The  different  Reformed  churches,  being 
English,  have  a  predominating  influence,  and  the  Lutheran, 
being  regarded  a  foreign  church,  is  looked  upon  with  con- 
tempt and  as  having  no  right  to  exist,  except  in  a  foreign 
tongue.  This  idea  is  often  so  rooted  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  no  acquaintance  with  the  Lutheran  Church, 
not  having  come  in  contact  with  it  in  the  East,  that  it 
requires  years  before  they  will  admit  that  the  Lutheran 
is  no  foreign  church.  Even  years  after  an  English  con- 
gregation has  been  established  with  uninterrupted  ser- 
vices from  Lord's  day  to  Lord's  day,  there  will  be  neighbors 
who  will  insist  upon  it  that  it  is  either  a  "Scandinavian"  or 
a  "German"  church.  Even  after  the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of 
a  century  some  persons  of  the  different  English  denomina- 
tions cannot  get  rid  of  their  prejudices,  and  point  to  an 
English  Lutheran  Church  as  either  Swedish  or  German, 
and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  sign  near  the  entrance  says 
in  plain  words  ENGLISH  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN 
CHURCH.  While,  with  the  establishing  of  numerous 
English  congregations  in  our  larger  cities,  the  time  of  such' 

65 


66     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ignorance  is  rapidly  passing,  it  was  the  condition  during 
the  early  period  of  English  work  in  the  Northwest.  But 
it  is  easier  to  gradually  overcome  prejudice  than  to  make  an 
impression  upon  professing  Lutherans  who  are  so  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  temporal  advancement,  that  their  relig- 
ion has  become  an  altogether  secondary  matter.  Many 
people  who  come  West  from  Eastern  cities,  do  so  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  themselves  hi  business,  and  care 
little  for  their  church.  They  have  no  Christian  conscious- 
ness and  would  use  the  church  to  aid  them  in  building  up 
a  business.  Coming  now  to  where  there  is  only  a  small 
mission,  they  cannot  see  in  it  any  advantage  in  a  business 
way.  Business  being  their  main  object,  they  desire  to  get 
acquainted  with  some  influential  men  and  so  they  hunt 
up  some  leading  church,  of  whatever  denomination,  ex- 
press their  readiness  to  unite  with  it,  make  themselves  very 
agreeable  and  so  bid  for  their  trade.  While  it  is  a  matter 
so  small  that  it  would  seem  impossible  for  any  one  laying 
any  claims  to  being  a  Christian  to  stoop  so  low,  it  is  never- 
theless something  quite  common. 

In  1887  or  1888,  a  family,  members  of  St.  Michael's 
Church,  Germantown,  Pa.,  moved  to  Minneapolis.  Their 
pastor  neglected  to  inform  the  missionary  of  their  removal, 
possibly  thinking  that  they  would  find  the  English  Luth- 
eran Church.  When,  in  the  fall  of  1888,  their  former 
pastor  happened  to  be  in  the  city,  he  called  on  them  and 
afterward  gave  their  address  to  the  pastor  of  the  church. 
He  called  on  them  and  found  that  they  had  little  enthu- 
siasm for  their  church,  and  had  never  once  visited  it, 
although  they  knew  its  location  and  it  was  in  walking  dis- 
tance. In  subsequent  calls  he  found  that  they  were  going 
to  the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  and  the  daughter 
called  it  "our  church."    Upon  further  inquiry  it  was 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY  67 

learned  that  the  man  wanted  to  go  into  the  butter  busi- 
ness and  was  anxious  to  establish  a  good  trade  as  soon  as 
possible.  When  the  family  had  settled  down  in  a  good 
locality  one  of  the  first  questions  asked  of  their  next 
neighbor  was,  "Which  is  the  most  influential  church  in  the 
city?"  The  people,  being  Congregationalists,  naturally 
replied,  "Plymouth  Congregational  Church."  That  es- 
tablished their  church  home  because  it  would  give  them 
customers  to  buy  butter.  Another  case :  Two  young  men 
came  from  Summit  Hill,  Pa.  They  were  found  and 
brought  into  the  mission,  and  as  long  as  they  were  simply 
employees  they  were  faithful.  But  now  they  wanted  to 
go  into  business  for  themselves.  There  were  no  business 
men  in  the  congregation,  and  they  sought  the  acquaintance 
of  some  men  of  influence,  which  was  perfectly  proper 
and  would  not  in  the  least  interfere  with  their  religion. 
Their  religious  consciousness  became  a  secondary  matter. 
To  become  connected  with  some  family  of  business 
standing  will  be  of  material  aid  in  becoming  established. 
The  pastor  could  not  help  seeing  their  growing  indifference 
to  the  church.  When  he  spoke  to  them  about  it,  the  frank 
but  blunt  reply  was,  "We  want  to  establish  ourselves  in 
business."  All  appeals  to  their  better  nature  were  in 
vain.  They  married  into  a  prominent  church,  and  landed 
there  for  the  sake  of  business! 

Others  have  no  Lutheran  consciousness  and  look  upon 
the  church  as  merely  a  social  club.  They  have  a  sort  of 
religious  feeling  that  it  is  important  to  be  a  church  member, 
but  no  real  convictions  with  respect  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  consequently  their  church  connections  are  decided 
by  the  claims  of  society  or  convenience,  or  the  eloquence 
of  a  preacher.  A  Lutheran  woman,  whose  husband  was  a 
Congregationalist,  and  who  had  a  son  clerking  in  a  prom- 


68     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

inent  store,  frequently  attended  the  service  in  the  early 
years  of  St.  John's,  Minneapolis.  She  seemed  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  making  that  her  church  home  and 
her  husband  made  no  objections.  But  there  was  no 
society  there  for  that  boy,  at  least  that  was  what  her 
neighbors  constantly  told  her,  and  as  persistently  im- 
pressed it  upon  the  young  man.  That  decided  her  to 
stand  aloof.  A  man  and  his  wife  came  from  Western 
Pennsylvania.  His  wife  had  been  a  Methodist,  but  had 
united  with  the  Lutheran  Church,  it  being  the  leading 
church  in  the  town  in  which  they  lived.  As  soon  as  they 
came  to  Minneapolis  the  man  began  to  attend  the  mission, 
and  every  time  he  came  he  put  one  dollar  on  the  offering 
plate.  It  was  hoped  that  he  would  make  an  earnest  and 
active  member  of  the  congregation.  He  seemed  pleased 
with  the  services.  But  he  lived  near  a  Methodist  church, 
and  his  wife  upon  joining  the  Lutheran  church  in  the 
East  had  exacted  the  promise  that,  if  ever  they  moved 
to  another  city,  he  would  go  with  her  to  the  Methodist 
church.  She  now  held  him  to  his  promise  and  there  he 
landed. 

But  this  lack  of  a  Lutheran  consciousness  you  find  by 
many  who  have  been  brought  up  in  the  Lutheran  church 
right  in  our  large  Western  cities.  The  clamor  of  business 
and  of  society  has  been  the  devil's  bait  to  attract  many 
who  at  one  time  seemed  deeply  interested  in  their  own 
church,  to  forsake  her  fold  for  another.  Here  is  a  man 
who  is  getting  rich  at  a  business  which  appeals  only  to  his 
own  nationality.  In  this  case  it  is  a  Swede.  Neither  he 
nor  his  wife  are  very  proficient  in  English,  but  they  have  a 
daughter  and  they  want  to  form  more  prominent  social 
connections  than  the  leading  Swedish  congregation  to 
which   they  belong   affords.       On   the  plea   that  their 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY  69 

daughter  does  not  understand  the  Swedish  they  seek 
English  church  connections.  The  English  Lutheran 
church  is  as  convenient  as  any  other,  but  that  is  too 
humble.  They  land  in  the  leading  Presbyterian  church. 
Here  is  another  family,  this  time  also  Swedish.  They  are 
Lutherans  and  want  to  remain  such,  and  unite  with  an 
English  congregation  and  for  a  while  are  very  active. 
They  have  neighbors  who  pose  in  the  social  circle  who 
have  their  high  class  card  parties,  a  sort  of  society  they 
do  not  find  in  the  Lutheran  congregation.  They  have  a 
daughter  growing  up  whom  the  mother  wants  to  become 
a  social  leader.  She  must  go  to  a  Sunday  school  where 
there  is  "Society."  This  time  it  is  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  as  the  mother  was  confirmed  in  Sweden,  she  need  not 
be  confirmed  again,  although  not  confirmed  by  a  bishop. 
With  such  conditions  our  English  mission  work  must  con- 
tend in  our  large  cities.  Not  the  faith  that  saves,  but 
social  and  economic  affairs  determine  in  many  cases  church 
membership.  But  alas  !  how  about  the  souls  of  such 
people? 

But  there  are  other  difficulties  the  early  English  mis- 
sionaries had  to  contend  with  and  which  still  exist  in 
some  places.  It  is  the  attitude  of  some  Lutheran  pastors 
to  the  English  work.  While  scores  and  hundreds  have 
been  lost  to  other  churches,  because  of  the  language, 
there  is  not  a  word  of  protest  as  that  would  be  of  no 
avail,  nor  is  there  any  effort  to  stop  the  leakage  by  trying 
to  establish  English  congregations.  As  soon,  however, 
as  an  English  Lutheran  mission  is  established,  there  is  not 
only  vigorous  protesting,  but  every  effort  is  put  forth  to 
prevent  the  people  from  going  to  the  English  services. 
Some  pastors  would  sooner  see  the  children  of  their  people 
go  to  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  sects  than  to  an  English 


70     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Lutheran  mission  Sunday  school.  This  has  been  learned 
from  personal  experience.  Said  a  German  pastor  of  the 
Missouri  Synod  to  the  writer  in  1883:  'Teh  zweifle  ob  der 
Lutherische  glaube  sich  in  der  Englische  Sprache  fort- 
pflanzen  kan"  (I  doubt  whether  the  Lutheran  faith  can  be 
propagated  in  the  English  language).  Soon  after,  a  family 
belonging  to  that  same  pastor  left  his  church  and  joined 
the  Methodists,  and  their  son  is  at  this  writing  a  Methodist 
minister  in  a  neighboring  city. 

What  English  missionary  work  in  the  West  had  to 
contend  with,  and  it  is  still  an  evil  which  must  be  met, 
is  the  state  church  ideas  of  Europe.  There  the  rule 
obtains  that  all  children  must  be  confirmed  at  the  ages  of 
fourteen  or  fifteen.  Where  the  parents  are  themselves 
truly  Christian  and  the  children  are  trained  up  in  the 
faith,  they,  as  a  rule,  are  faithful  when  they  come  to  this 
country.  But  in  many  cases  their  religion  is  a  mere 
formal  matter.  They  come  here  with  no  religious  con- 
sciousness, but  when  their  children  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  they  want  them  confirmed.  In  many  cases  it 
matters  not  in  what  church,  but  they  must  be  confirmed, 
for  then  the  parents  think  they  are  relieved  of  all  re- 
sponsibility and  the  children  have  graduated  from  parental 
restraint  to  do  as  they  please.  Because  of  this  abuse  of 
the  idea  of  confirmation  even  Methodists  and  Congre- 
gationalists  have  introduced  it,  in  order  to  catch  such 
careless  Lutherans.  Yet  there  are  many  families,  who 
stand  aloof  from  any  congregation,  who  still  possess  so 
much  Lutheran  consciousness  as  to  want  their  children 
confirmed  in  a  Lutheran  church.  Sometimes  they 
send  them  for  many  miles  that  they  may  "read  for  a 
Lutheran  minister,"  that  is,  be  instructed  in  Luther's 
catechism. 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY  71 

It  happens  that  sometimes  those  children  become 
really  earnest  and  faithful  Christians,  although  the  parents 
remain  indifferent.  But  here  comes  in  the  pastor's  diffi- 
culty, for  now  many  of  those  young  people  think  they  are 
graduated  and  can  do  as  they  please.  Their  confirmation 
certificate  is  their  diploma;  they  have  now  attained  their 
majority  as  far  as  the  church  is  concerned.  They  have 
associates  who  are  members  of  other  churches,  or  altogether 
worldly,  by  whom  they  are  led.  Their  parents  have  noth- 
ing more  to  say.  Where  formerly  they  said,  "Go  to 
Sunday  school  and  to  church,"  and  were  obeyed,  the 
response  now  is,  "I  am  confirmed  and  can  go  where  I 
please."  Even  where  the  parents  are  faithful  church 
members  there  is  often  no  longer  insistance  to  go  either 
to  church  or  Sunday  school,  but  the  children  are  left 
to  their  own  will,  and  to  choose  whatever  companions 
they  please. 

The  claims  of  companionship  are  the  ruling  principle 
with  many  young  people,  in  spite  of  all  a  pastor  may  do 
and  say,  and  soon  they  have  learned  the  motto  which  is 
so  common  among  some  sects,  "One  church  is  as  good  as 
another,"  used  especially  to  catch  indifferent  young 
Lutherans. 

But  perhaps  the  most  formidable  opposition  that  must 
be  met  is  the  proselyting  practised  by  the  sects.  This  is 
often  carried  on  in  the  most  shameless  manner.  They 
have  their  trained  women  going  from  house  to  house  to 
get  hold  of  the  children  for  their  Sunday  schools.  They 
use  all  sorts  of  fads  and  often  resort  to  schemes  of  bribery, 
to  draw  the  children  away  from  the  Lutheran  Sunday 
school.  What  gives  them  a  measure  of  success  is  the  fact 
that  they  require  no  test  as  to  faith  to  become  church 
members.    If  any  one  says,  he  loves  the  Lord  Jesus 


72     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Christ,  it  is  all  that  is  required,  whether  he  knows  any- 
thing about  the  teachings  of  Christ  or  not.  It  is  not 
required  that  they  know  the  Ten  Commandments  and  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  or  even  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  glamour 
of  religious  fads  often  attracts  attention,  and  the  Luth- 
eran church  is  declared  narrow  and  behind  the  times 
because  it  will  not  fall  into  line  with  the  popular  current. 
While  the  church,  in  almost  every  community,  has  to 
contend  with  some  of  these  things,  it  is  especially  diffi- 
cult in  new  fields  (particularly  where  prejudice  holds 
sway  on  the  one  hand  and  on  the  other  jealousy),  because 
of  the  fear  that  some  congregations  may  lose  some  mem- 
bers who  prefer  the  English  language;  and  on  the  part  of 
non-Lutheran  churches,  because  in  some  cases  their 
source  of  supply  is  cut  off  when  an  English  Lutheran 
congregation  is  established,  and  is  able  to  take  care  of  the 
Lutheran  people  desiring  the  Gospel  in  English. 


Rev.  R.  F.  Weidner,  D.D. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  WORK  ATTRACTS  ATTENTION 

At  first  the  English  work  in  the  Twin  Cities  received 
but  a  passing  notice  by  other  Lutheran  bodies,  but  it  soon 
began  to  attract  attention.  The  best  possible  use  was 
made  of  the  newspapers  to  call  attention  to  it,  and  every 
legitimate  means  employed  to  show  that  the  Lutheran 
church  was  not  only  Scandinavian  and  German,  but  that 
it  existed  in  English  also.  The  work  being  begun  in  the 
year  1883,  the  four  hundredth  anniversay  of  the  birth  of 
the  great  Reformer,  Martin  Luther,  the  missionary  ar- 
ranged for  a  series  of  lectures  in  Minneapolis  on  "Luther 
and  the  Reformation,"  and  so  sanguine  was  he  of  the 
success  of  the  scheme  that  he  secured  the  largest  hall  in  the 
city,  the  rent  for  which  was  paid  with  the  proceeds  from 
the  sale  of  tickets.  All  things  considered,  the  attendance 
at  those  lectures  was  good  and  the  amount  necessary  for 
the  hall  rent  was  always  secured.  While  this  did  not 
directly  aid  the  mission,  it  aided  in  disabusing  the  minds 
of  the  people  and  in  calling  attention  to  the  Lutheran 
church. 

But  Lutherans  of  other  nationalities  soon  began  to 
take  notice.  In  St.  Paul  the  congregation  began  to 
outgrow  the  little  chapel,  and  preparations  were  being 
made  to  build  a  church.  It  was  not  a  pretentious  build- 
ing, only  36  by  50  feet,  but  it  was  built  of  brick  and 
showed  that  the  congregation  was  prospering.  St.  Paul, 
being  a  Missouri  Synod,  or  rather  a  Synodical  Conference 


74     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

stronghold,  those  people  began  to  feel  uneasy  and  take 
notice.  The  idea  that  the  General  Council  should  build 
up  English  congregations  to  which  some  of  their  own 
people,  who  preferred  the  English,  would  be  attracted, 
must  in  some  way  be  counteracted.  What  was  to  be 
done?  A  meeting  of  the  Synodical  Conference  Pastors 
was  held  and  the  matter  discussed.  One  of  the  leading 
men  remarked:  "We  must  start  entirely  English  congre- 
gations or  these  Councilers  will  take  away  our  young 
people."  This  was  the  only  solution  of  the  problem. 
Neither  did  they  delay  in  beginning  the  work.  The 
German  congregations  fell  into  line  to  aid  in  establishing 
an  English  Missouri  Synod  congregation  and  today  it  is 
one  of  the  leading  churches  in  the  city.  While  the  motive 
was  to  prevent  their  young  people  from  going  into  a 
General  Council  church,  it  was  an  instance  where  "the 
wrath  of  man  was  made  to  praise  God."  Had  the  General 
Council  Committee  not  made  the  beginning,  it  is  a  ques- 
tion whether,  for  the  next  quarter  of  a  century,  any 
English  Lutheran  work  would  have  been  done  in  St. 
Paul. 

At  first  the  English  missionaries  were  frequently  re- 
quested to  address  young  peoples'  meetings  in  Scandina- 
vian churches.  On  more  than  one  occasion  the  writer 
was  introduced  as  quite  a  rare  personage,  an  English 
speaking  Lutheran.  Many  were  under  the  impression 
that,  since  they  had  never  been  in  touch  .with  the  church 
in  the  East,  there  were  few  English  speaking  Lutherans. 
But  now  having  received  a  taste  of  services  in  English 
and  the  young  people  having  received  their  education  in 
the  Public  Schools,  the  demand  for  "the  faith  of  the 
fathers  in  the  language  of  the  children"  soon  became 
quite  prominent.    At  that  time  very  few  of  the  pastors 


THE  WORK  ATTRACTS  ATTENTION  75 

of  the  Swedish  and  Norwegian  churches  could  officiate 
in  the  English  language,  and  the  few  that  could  hesitated 
to  do  so,  because  they  had  never  put  their  knowledge  of 
English  into  practice.  This  called  special  attention  to  the 
importance  of  English  training  in  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary. 

When  the  Norwegian  Synod  contemplated  moving 
their  Theological  Seminary  from  Madison,  Wis.,  to 
Robinsdale,  near  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  a  committee,  com- 
posed of  a  prominent  Norwegian  pastor  in  Minneapolis, 
and  a  theological  professor  in  the  Seminary,  came  to 
pastor  Trabert,  the  missionary  in  Minneapolis,  request- 
ing his  consent  to  become  the  English  professor.  Know- 
ing that  his  calling  was  in  the  pastorate  and  not  in  the 
professor's  chair,  he  declined.  The  incident  is  only 
mentioned  to  show  how,  at  the  time,  the  English  work 
began  to  attract  attention  and  how  the  importance  of 
training  students  to  preach  in  English  was  felt. 

In  1882  the  Rev.  Revere  F.  Weidner  had  been  called  as 
Professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  Augustana  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Rock  Island,  111.  He  was  the  first  English  pro- 
fessor in  any  Western  Theological  Seminary  either  German 
or  Scandinavian.  In  this  respect  the  Swedes  were  ahead 
and  first  saw  the  importance  of  training  a  ministry  that 
could  preach  in  English  as  well  as  in  Swedish.  But  when 
now  English  congregations  were  actually  being  gathered, 
and  the  desire  for  English  on  the  part  of  the  young  people 
was  beginning  to  make  itself  felt,  there  were  some  who 
began  to  make  diligent  effort  to  meet  the  want,  while 
others  could  not  see  why  the  young  people  should  desire 
English,  as  long  as  the  parents  spoke  the  mother  tongue, 
and  they  were  in  position  to  learn  it.  Such  looked  with 
disfavor  upon  the  English  work,  and  regarded  it  entirely 


76     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

unnecessary.  But  from  force  of  circumstances  it  was 
obliged  to  grow  into  favor. 

Here  and  there  pastors  began  to  see  how  the  different 
English  speaking  sects  made  every  effort  to  attract  the 
children  of  Lutheran  parents,  and  they  welcomed  the 
English  Lutheran  Mission;  while  those  who  were  able 
tried  to  provide  the  need,  as  best  they  could,  by  an  oc- 
casional English  service,  and  by  English  classes  in  the 
Sunday  school.  In  some  cases  the  pastors  were  far  in 
advance  of  the  laity.  The  English  question  sometimes 
became  a  burning  question  in  congregational  meetings. 
In  spite  of  the  pastors'  pleadings  that  some  provision  should 
be  made  for  those  who  preferred  the  English  among  the 
young  people,  they  were  bitterly  opposed,  and  often  abso- 
lutely forbidden  to  have  English  preaching  in  the  church 
at  the  time  for  the  regular  service. 

But  if  anything  is  to  be  accomplished  there  must  first 
be  agitation.  Stagnation  is  death  to  any  cause  This 
is  true  with  regard  to  the  Church  as  well  as  in  worldly 
affairs.  The  fact  that  the  question  with  respect  to  the 
use  of  the  English  language  was  raised  in  many  congre- 
gations was  a  good  omen,  in  spite  of  the  hard  feeling  it 
sometimes  engendered.  It  was  quite  natural  for  some  of 
the  older  people  to  cling  to  the  mother  tongue  with  great 
tenacity,  for  fear  that  in  a  short  time  they  might  be  de- 
prived of  the  regular  services  of  the  sanctuary,  if  only 
occasionally,  in  the  language  of  their  fathers.  The  very 
thought,  that  a  church  which  they  or  their  fathers  had 
erected,  in  which  the  grand  chorals  in  German  or  Swedish 
or  Norwegian  were  sung,  and  where  they  listened  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  the  language  which  had  com- 
forted them  in  their  sorrows,  given  encouragement  in 
perplexity,   which  had   thrilled    their    hearts  with   the 


THE  WORK  ATTRACTS  ATTENTION  77 

promises  of  God,  should  now  be  used  for  worship  in,  to 
them,  a  strange  language  rilled  their  hearts  with  grief. 
But  those  are  only  some  of  the  symptoms  which  indi- 
cate the  approach  of  a  new  era  in  Church  work.  Un- 
pleasant as  the  agitation  may  seem  at  the  time,  because  of 
the  bitterness  shown  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  often 
resented  by  those  who  cannot  enter  into  the  feelings  of 
those  who  have  come  to  a  new  country  and  with  tre- 
mendous sacrifice  built  themselves  a  house  of  worship,  the 
end  of  it  all  proves  how  God  leads  His  people,  often  in 
mysterious  ways,  for  the  furtherance  of  His  work.  Much 
of  the  bitterness  caused  by  the  transition  from  one  lan- 
guage to  another  might  often  be  avoided,  if  there  was 
more  consideration  of  the  prejudices  of  those  who  cannot 
see  the  situation  as  others  do,  and  the  exercise  of  greater 
tact  in  meeting  them. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   WORK  EXPANDS 

We  now  come  back  to  where  we  left  off  at  the  end  of 
Chapter  V.  While  the  work  was  being  carried  forward 
in  the  two  original  congregations,  the  eye  was  kept  on 
other  fields.  Services  were  held  every  two  weeks  at 
Red  Wing  in  the  Swedish  church,  and  both  in  1884  and  in 
1885  classes  were  instructed  and  confirmed  as  members 
of  that  congregation,  in  the  hope  that  soon  a  number 
of  their  members  would,  with  them,  swarm  out  and  found 
a  distinctively  English  congregation,  which  was  the  earnest 
wish  of  the  pastor.  But  the  majoirty  of  the  congregation 
did  not  favor  such  a  move,  and  in  the  Summer  of  1886 
pastor  Sjoblom  accepted  a  call  to  another  part  of  the 
State.  His  removal  brought  the  darkest  period  to  the 
English  mission.  Soon  after  his  departure  the  Church 
Council  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  needed  no 
English  services  in  the  church,  but  offered  the  use  of  the 
school  house  to  those  who  desired  English  preaching. 
This  brought  about  a  crisis  which  proved  favorable  to 
the  mission  work.  The  missionary  informed  the  few 
persons  who  desired  to  see  a  distinctively  English  Lutheran 
congregation  in  the  city,  that  the  only  thing  to  do  was  to 
organize  and  to  do  it  as  soon  as  possible.  He  also  stated 
that  a  hall  should  be  rented  and  the  work  separated  en- 
tirely from  the  Swedish  congregation.  His  advice  was 
taken,  and  after  holding  one  service  in  the  inconvenient 
parochial  school  building,  the  hall  was  obtained  and 
services  held  regularly  every  other  Sunday  evening. 

78 


St.  Paul  English  Lutheran  Church,  Red  \\  ing 


THE  WORK  EXPANDS  79 

A  meeting  was  called  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  an 
organization,  in  the  office  of  the  Probate  Judge,  N.  O. 
Werner,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Swedish  congregation. 
There  were  six  present  at  the  meeting,  of  which  three  aided 
in  discussing  the  matter  and  giving  advice,  while  the  other 
three  became  the  charter  members.  It  was  indeed  a  small 
nucleus,  but  it  was  a  beginning.  The  question  as  to  the 
name  of  the  congregation  was  settled  by  one  of  the  organ- 
izers stating  that,  as  St.  Paul  was  the  first  great  Christian 
missionary,  we  should  adopt  the  name  "St.  Paul's"  as  the 
most  appropriate  for  the  mission.  The  suggestion  was  at 
once  adopted.  The  congregation  was  incorporated  De- 
cember 4,  1886.  In  the  meantime  the  missionary  visited 
Red  Wing  every  other  week,  preaching  on  Sunday  eve- 
nings, and  on  Monday  instructing  quite  a  large  class  of 
catechumens.  A  Sunday  school  had  also  been  organ- 
ized, which  grew  quite  rapidly.  In  the  Spring  of  1887, 
when  the  class  was  ready  for  confirmation,  the  use  of  a 
Norwegian  church  was  secured  in  which  to  conduct  the 
confirmation  service  and  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper. 
A  number  of  members  were  received  by  letter,  and  the 
congregation  now  numbered  about  thirty.  For  two  years 
longer  the  congregation  was  held  together  by  regular 
visits  from  Minneapolis,  until  in  the  Summer  of  1889, 
when  the  Home  Mission  Board  sent  the  Rev.  C.  B. 
Lindtwed  to  take  charge  of  the  work. 

Another  field  opened  up  providentially  on  the  West 
Side  in  St.  Paul.  A  colony  from  Morrisburg,  Ontario, 
had  settled  in  that  section  of  the  city  and  had  united 
with  the  Memorial  congregation  on  the  East  Side.  At  a 
baptism  on  a  Sunday  afternoon  in  April,  1886,  there 
were  eighteen  persons  present,  of  whom  ten  were  members 
of  Memorial  Church.    They  urged  the  pastor,  the  Rev. 


80     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

A.  J.  D.  Haupt,  to  hold  afternoon  services  in  that  section, 
as  the  distance  was  so  great  to  the  church  on  the  East 
Side.  A  hall  was  rented  and  services  begun,  a  Sunday 
school  being  organized  on  the  16th  of  May,  and  on  July 
9th  Holy  Trinity  congregation  was  incorporated. 

During  the  Summer  of  1884  the  Rev.  W.  F.  Ulery,  of 
Greensburg,  Pa.,  a  member  of  the  Home  Mission  Com- 
mittee of  the  General  Council,  was  sent  out  to  inspect 
the  missions.  He  also  visited  North  Dakota  and  was  so 
favorably  impressed  with  the  country  that  he  contem- 
plated the  settling  of  a  colony  in  that  state.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year,  he,  himself,  undertook  to  do  mission 
work  in  that  State,  making  Bismarck,  the  capital,  his 
headquarters.  Here  a  lot  for  a  church  was  secured.  He 
also  visited  Jamestown  and  Valley  City,  and  occasionally 
Fargo,  to  lay  the  foundation  for  English  Lutheran  work. 
In  July,  1885,  he  returned  East  in  behalf  of  the  cause  in 
North  Dakota,  leaving  the  work  in  care  of  Rev.  W.  O. 
Wilson.  But  Mr.  Wilson  did  not  continue  long  and  when 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Ulery  returned  to  Bismarck,  he  found  the 
work  so  demoralized  that  he  thought  it  best  to  discontinue 
and  to  concentrate  his  efforts  on  Fargo,  as  the  most 
promising  point  in  the  State  at  that  time.  Here  it  was 
difficult  to  secure  a  place  in  which  to  hold  service,  and  for 
a  while  the  waiting  room  of  the  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry.  Station 
was  used.  In  order  that  the  work  would  prove  a  success, 
it  was  necessary  to  secure  a  lot  and  build  a  church,  that 
the  future  congregation  might  have  a  church  home.  In 
the  Spring  of  1886  three  lots  were  purchased  centrally 
located  for  the  church.  Ground  was  broken  in  July, 
and  on  the  25  th  of  the  same  month  the  corner  stone  was 
laid,  the  missionaries,  Trabert  and  Haupt,  together  with 
W.  K.  Frick,  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  College,  St.  Peter, 


Rev.  W.  F.  Ulery 


THE  WORK  EXPANDS  8 1 

taking  part  in  the  services.  The  church  was  finished  and 
consecrated  on  the  28th  of  November,  the  same  year. 

While  there  were  a  number  of  persons  interested  in  the 
English  work  at  Fargo,  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for 
the  regular  organization  of  a  congregation,  and  a  whole 
year  elapsed  before  the  effort  was  made.  The  first  regu- 
lar communion  was  held  on  Easter,  1887,  when  ten  came 
to  the  altar,  and  the  following  Sunday  (April  17th)  steps 
were  taken  toward  an  organization,  which  was  completed 
on  May  18th.  The  following  July  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ulery 
again  returned  to  the  East,  and  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Gerber- 
ding  was  called  to  take  his  place.  From  that  time  the 
work  has  steadily  progressed  and  St.  Mark's  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  English  congregations  in  the  city  of 
Fargo. 

There  were,  moreover,  other  points  that  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  missionaries.  Attention  was  called  to 
Brainerd,  where  were  located  the  shops  of  the  newly 
completed  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Trabert,  of  Minneapolis,  visited  that  city  and  preached  in 
the  Swedish  church,  but  the  field  was  not  ripe  for  English 
Lutheran  work  at  that  time.  From  a  newspaper  clipping 
which  was  sent  to  him,  his  attention  was  specially  called 
to  Duluth,  which  he  visited  in  1884,  and  found  a  very  few 
English  Lutherans.  Services  were  also  held  in  the  eve- 
ning, in  the  Swedish  church.  While  nothing  could  be  done 
at  the  time,  owing  to  the  distance  from  Minneapolis, 
and  no  one  being  available  to  go  and  make  a  beginning, 
the  place  was  kept  in  mind  and  an  annual  visit  made  for 
several  years.  In  the  Summer  of  1887  several  families 
were  found  who  could  form  a  nucleus  for  an  English  con- 
gregation. These  were  gathered  during  the  annual  visit, 
and  with  their  aid  a  Sunday  school  was  organized,  and 


82     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

also  a  congregation  which  was  regularly  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  Holy  Trinity.  The  Home  Mission 
Committee  was  requested  to  send  a  man  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. But  as  the  means  for  his  support  were  not  available, 
no  man  was  sent.  Services  were  kept  up  for  one  whole 
year  by  the  missionary  from  Minneapolis  visiting  Duluth 
once  a  month,  or  sending  some  one  in  his  place.  During 
the  next  year  some  of  the  leading  members  of  the  feeble 
mission  left  the  city,  which  still  more  crippled  the  enter- 
prise, and  the  work  was  temporarily  suspended.  It  was 
again  taken  up  the  following  year,  when  the  congregation 
was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  "St.  John's,"  in  honor 
of  St.  John's,  Philadelphia,  from  which  came  a  good 
portion  of  the  missionary's  support.  The  pastor,  under 
whom  the  work  was  finally  started  and  carried  forward, 
was  Rev.  H.  L.  McMurray. 

An  incident  in  connection  with  the  work  at  the  head  of 
Lake  Superior,  before  a  mission  was  regularly  begun  at 
Duluth,  gives  a  bit  of  missionary  experience.  A  mission 
meeting  was  being  held  in  the  Swedish  church.  There 
was  a  small  congregation  on  the  other  side  of  the  bay, 
in  Superior,  Wis.,  where  arrangements  had  been  made 
for  an  English  as  well  as  a  Swedish  service.  The  distance 
across  was  six  miles.  The  pastor  at  Duluth,  the  Rev.  C. 
J.  Collin,  accompanied  the  Rev.  G.  A.  Stenberg,  who  was 
to  preach  in  Swedish,  and  G.  H.  Trabert,  who  was  to 
preach  in  English.  When  the  party  reached  the  dock  the 
last  boat  had  gone.  What  was  to  be  done?  The  people 
in  Superior  dare  not  be  disappointed.  To  row  six  miles 
in  an  hour  would  require  so  much  effort  as  to  unfit  the 
oarsmen  for  other  work,  especially  as  there  was  consider- 
able wind.  It  happened  that  Mr.  Stenberg  had  been  a 
sailor,  and  so  a  sailboat  was  hired.    The  party  reached 


THE  WORK  EXPANDS  83 

the  other  shore  in  time  and  secured  the  boat,  both  at  the 
bow  and  the  stern,  to  keep  it  from  being  injured  by  the 
waves.  There  was  a  fair  attendance  at  the  service,  but 
as  the  wind  began  to  blow  almost  a  gale,  the  preachers 
became  a  little  uneasy.  The  service  over,  all  hastened  to 
the  boat.  Some  of  the  good  people  of  Superior  begged 
the  party  to  stay  there  all  night,  as  it  was  quite  a  risk  to 
attempt  to  return.  The  night  was  pitch  dark,  and  the 
sailor  preacher  was  not  acquainted  with  the  water,  be- 
sides it  was  difficult  for  an  inexperienced  man  to  dis- 
tinguish the  lighthouse  on  the  inlet  at  the  other  side  from 
the  numerous  lights  in  the  neighborhood.  What  was  to 
be  done?  There  were  those  on  the  other  side,  especially 
the  wives  of  two  of  the  pastors,  who,  it  was  believed,  saw 
the  party  start  out  in  a  sail  boat,  and  if  now  they  did  not 
return,  it  was  feared  they  would  become  uneasy  for  fear 
they  might  have  met  with  misfortune.  It  was  therefore 
resolved  that  Rev.  Mr.  Stenberg  should  stay  all  night  and 
bring  the  boat  back  the  next  morning,  and  the  other  two, 
Revs.  Collin  and  Trabert,  would  walk,  via  the  N.  P. 
Railway  bridge,  just  completed,  a  distance  of  over  ten 
miles.  A  luncheon  was  served  by  one  of  the  families  of 
the  congregation,  and  at  10  p.  m.  the  party  set  out  on  their 
journey.  Upon  reaching  the  bridge,  they  found  that  for 
fully  a  fourth  of  a  mile  they  had  to  walk  on  the  cross-ties 
before  reaching  the  sidewalk  for  pedestrians — the  bridge 
being  about  two  miles  long.  Without  any  mishap  they 
reached  Duluth  as  the  clock  struck  the  midnight  hour. 
A  half-hour  later  they  were  at  their  lodgings  and  found  all 
sleeping  peacefully.  Their  fears  had  been  groundless, 
but  it  was  quite  an  experience  in  connection  with  the 
first  English  Lutheran  service  in  Wisconsin. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  BROAD   OUTLOOK 

Among  the  members  of  the  Swedish  Augustana  Synod 
there  were  some  great  men  who  had  a  broad  outlook. 
Although  they  had  their  hands  more  than  full  in  caring 
for  the  thousands  of  immigrants  who  came  to  make  them- 
selves a  home  in  this  country,  they  saw  how  the  rising 
generation,  especially  through  the  Public  Schools,  was 
gradually  becoming  English,  and  which  must  in  due  time 
be  ministered  unto  in  the  official  language  of  the  country. 
Among  those  noble  and  zealous  men  may  be  mentioned 
Dr.  T.  N.  Hasselquist,  Dr.  Erland  Carlson,  Dr.  E.  Norelius 
and  Dr.  P.  Sjoblom,  who,  together  with  others,  all  born 
and  educated  in  Sweden,  saw  the  need  of  the  use  of  the 
English  language  in  the  services  of  the  Church  as  soon 
as  there  were  those  to  whom  it  was  more  familiar  than 
the  language  of  their  fathers.  They  realized  how  the 
proselyting  efforts  of  the  American  sects  would  draw 
many  away  from  the  faith  unless  they  could  be  met  on 
their  own  grounds  by  using  the  language  of  the  country 
which  the  young  people  were  so  eager  to  learn. 

In  order  to  meet  the  coming  wants  they  already  at  an 
early  period  saw  the  necessity  of  English  instruction  in 
their  colleges  and  theological  seminary.  In  fact,  at  the 
very  beginning  of  the  educational  work  of  the  Augustana 
Synod,  way  back  in  1864,  they  already  saw  the  importance 
of  having  an  entirely  English  professor.  It  was  then  The 
Scandinavian   Evangelical   Lutheran   Augustana   Synod, 

84 


Rev.  J.  P.  Uhler,  Ph.D. 


A  BROAD  OUTLOOK  85 

inasmuch  as  that  part  of  the  Norwegians  which  now 
constitutes  the  "United"  Church,  were  joined  with  them. 
It  was  organized  in  i860  and  at  once  established  the 
Augustana  College  and  Theological  Seminary  at  Chicago, 
which  in  1863  was  removed  to  Paxton,  and  in  1875  to 
Rock  Island,  111.  In  1864  the  Rev.  W.  Kopp,  a  member 
of  the  West  Pennsylvania  Synod,  became  the  first  English 
professor.  He  continued  until  1867,  when,  on  account 
of  ill  health,  he  was  obliged  to  resign.  Another  English 
professor  was  at  once  secured,  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  L.  Harkey, 
who  continued  from  1867  to  1870,  when  the  amicable 
separation  of  the  Norwegians  from  the  Swedes  took  place, 
which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  Norwegian 
Augustana  Synod.  The  Swedes  being  the  stronger  body 
and  being  the  main  founders,  retained  the  institution ;  and 
on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Harkey,  at  once  elected  Prof. 
Andrew  Lindstrom,  a  Swede  indeed  by  birth,  but  who  had 
studied  in  Springfield,  Ohio  (Wittenberg  College),  for  some 
years.  He  only  continued  as  English  professor  for  one 
year. 

Realizing  the  great  importance  of  an  English  professor, 
they  again  applied  to  Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant  to  recommend 
a  suitable  person.  This  resulted  in  the  calling  of  Prof. 
H.  Reck,  who  continued  until  1881.  With  the  firm  con- 
viction that  more  stress  should  be  laid  upon  theological 
instruction  being  given  in  the  English  language,  the 
Synod,  in  1882,  elected  the  Rev.  R.  F.  Weidner,  of  Philadel- 
phia, a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ministerium,  profes- 
sor of  Exegesis  and  Dogmatics. 

The  election  of  Prof.  Weidner  was  the  longest  step  in 
advance,  on  the  part  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  to  provide 
for  an  English  ministry,  or  rather,  to  enable  its  ministers 
to  officiate  in  English  as  well  as  in  Swedish.      That  in- 


86     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

augurated  a  new  era  in  theological  instruction  in  the 
Seminary  at  Rock  Island,  111.,  which  meant  much  for  the 
future  of  the  Augustana  Synod.  Prof.  Weidner  was 
English,  and  he  at  once  took  advanced  steps  with  respect 
to  the  use  of  the  English  language  as  a  medium  of  instruc- 
tion. With  the  heartiest  co-operation  of  his  fellow  pro- 
fessors, Drs.  Hasselquist  and  Olson,  the  former  Swedish 
Seminary  became  bi-lingual,  and  the  foundation  for  a 
future  English  Augustana  Synod  ministry  was  laid. 

While  English  instruction  was  given  in  the  college  by 
Prof.  A.  W.  Williamson,  the  son  of  a  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sionary (but  who  became  a  good  Lutheran),  since  1881; 
in  1888  Dr.  E.  F.  Bartholomew,  who  had  been  president 
of  Carthage  College,  was  added  to  the  faculty.  From 
that  time  on  the  instruction  in  the  college  has  been  chiefly 
in  the  English  language. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  institutions  at  Rock  Island 
is  also  true  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  College,  at  St.  Peter, 
Minn.  That  institution  belonged  to  the  Minnesota 
Conference  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  and  was  gradually 
developing  into  a  full  college.  In  1878  the  Conference 
called  Prof.  A.  W.  Williamson  as  its  first  distinctively 
English  professor,  who  continued  until  1881,  when  he  was 
called  to  Rock  Island.  In  1880  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Koiner, 
who  had  been  a  student  at  the  Philadelphia  Theological 
Seminary,  was  called  and  continued  for  one  year.  Upon 
the  removal  of  Prof.  A.  W.  Williamson,  the  Rev.  J.  A. 
Bauman,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ministerium,  took  his 
place  and  continued  until  1884,  when  he  was  called  as 
professor  in  Muhlenberg  College,  Allentown,  Pa. 

Realizing  the  necessity  of  more  instruction  in  college 
being  given  through  the  medium  of  the  English  language, 
the  Conference  in  1882,  called  an  additional  English  pro- 


A  BROAD  OUTLOOK  87 

fessor  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Uhler,  also  of  the  Pennsylvania  Minis- 
terium,  who  has  continued  with  the  institution  ever  since. 
He  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  Vice-President  of  the 
College,  and  after  the  resignation  of  the  President,  Dr.  P. 
A.  Mattson,  in  191 1,  became  the  acting  President.  In 
1883  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Frick,  of  Philadelphia,  was  added  to 
the  faculty,  who  continued  until  1888.  After  the  removal 
of  Prof.  Bauman  in  1884,  the  Rev.  John  Sander,  also  of 
Pennsylvania,  entered  the  institution  and  continued  until 
1903.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Prof.  Frick,  the  Rev.  H. 
K.  Shanor,  of  the  Pittsburgh  Synod,  was  added  to  the 
faculty,  and  continued  until  1892,  when  Prof.  J.  D. 
Spaeth  took  his  place  and  remained  for  one  year. 

We  here  see  that  from  1875  Gustavus  Adolphus  College 
had  one  or  more  exclusively  English  professors,  and  from 
1883  until  1893  there  were  continually  three  who  had 
been  secured  from  the  Church  in  the  East.  This  shows 
a  broad  outlook  with  respect  to  the  importance  of 
English  as  a  medium  of  instruction  in  a  professedly 
Swedish  institution.  Since  the  early  nineties  it  was  no 
longer  necessary  to  go  East  for  English  teachers,  and  the 
English  is  almost  exclusively  the  medium  of  imparting 
knowledge,  except  for  Swedish  language  and  literature. 

Bethany  College,  Lindsborg,  Kan.,  was  founded  later 
by  Dr.  Carl  A.  Swenson,  and  from  the  beginning  placed 
the  English  on  the  same  level  with  the  Swedish  as  the 
medium  of  imparting  knowledge. 

Up  to  1883,  when  the  first  English  Lutheran  congre- 
gations were  organized  in  the  Northwest,  there  were  no 
Swedish,  nor  Norwegian  or  German  congregations  on  that 
territory,  in  which  the  English  language  was  used  in  part 
in  the  public  services.  Among  the  Scandinavian  churches 
throughout  the  country  the  need  for  the  English  was  not 


88     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

felt,  especially  since  during  the  eighties  the  influx  from 
the  home  countries  was  at  its  height.  Nevertheless, 
the  need  of  English  work  was  beginning  to  make  itself  felt, 
and  there  were  those  broad-minded  men  who,  though 
unable  to  supply  the  demand,  were  ready  to  welcome 
English  pastors  from  the  church  in  the  East  to  come  and 
gather  in  those  who,  because  of  the  language,  were 
no  longer  at  home  in  the  churches  in  which  the  fathers 
worshiped.  It  was  this  feeling  of  the  importance  of  the 
use  of  the  English  language  for  the  future  development 
of  the  church  that  enabled  the  work  to  be  begun  without 
friction,  and  enjoying  the  hearty  good  will  of  the  Swedish 
brethren.  That  after  a  while  more  or  less  friction  occa- 
sionally arose  in  some  quarters  was  only  what  could  be  ex- 
pected as  long  as  human  nature  is  still  debased  by  sin. 
Jealousy,  for  fear  some  persons  may  want  to  leave  the 
mother  congregation  and  join  the  English  Mission,  and 
that  eventually  the  former  might  become  weakened  and 
the  latter  occupy  the  place  which  the  former  claims,  can 
not  be  avoided.  If  often  exists  where  there  are  rival 
congregations  using  the  same  language.  Then  there  will 
be  misunderstandings  between  brethren,  fears  that  the 
integrity  of  the  Synodical  body  will  be  affected;  fears  lest 
the  institutions  of  mercy  as  well  as  of  learning  will  be 
caused  to  suffer,  because  of  the  withdrawal  of  the  English 
congregations  from  the  Synodical  relations.  Such  ex- 
periences the  Church  has  had  wherever  there  was  a  transi- 
tion from  one  language  to  another,  especially  where  ex- 
clusively English  congregations  were  established. 

Great  care  was  taken  on  the  part  of  the  first  pastors  to 
avoid  all  occasions  for  friction.  They  united  with  the 
Augustana  Synod,  an  altogether  Swedish  body,  and  felt 
quite  at  home  among  the  Swedish  brethren.    They  were 


A  BROAD  OUTLOOK  89 

warmly  welcomed  and  treated,  upon  the  whole,  with  great 
consideration  and  kindness.  They  endeavored  to  re- 
spect the  discipline  of  the  Synod,  and  fell  into  line  in  its 
peculiar  work,  and  the  support  of  its  institutions.  To 
them  the  Church  was  first,  and  language  and  nationality 
came  afterward.  In  the  meetings  with  the  Swedish  breth- 
ren, whether  in  Synod  or  Conference,  in  mission  meetings 
or  pastoral  associations,  there  was  never  any  distinction 
made  because  of  nationality  or  language.  In  fact,  one 
of  the  English  pastors  was  for  six  years  president  of  the 
Twin  City  (Swedish)  Pastoral  Association.  One  was  for 
two  years  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Conference,  which  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  English 
work  whatever,  but  was  principally  concerned  with  the 
planting  of  Swedish  missions  and  securing  missionaries 
to  extend  the  Swedish  work.  The  English  pastors  were 
elected  delegates  to  the  General  Council,  and  one  was  for 
two  years  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Gustavus  Adolphus 
College,  and,  had  the  work  continued  in  connection  with  the 
Augustana  Synod,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  same 
conditions  would,  to  a  considerable  extent,  have  con- 
tinued; but  a  crisis  came  unexpectedly  which  pointed  to  a 
change  in  policy  on  the  part  of  several  congregations. 
Moreover,  there  were  other  influences  at  work  which 
finally  decided  the  change. 

Several  congregations  had  been  organized,  none  of 
whose  members  who  were  eligible  to  be  delegates  to  Synod 
or  Conference,  could  understand  the  Swedish  language, 
which  was  necessary  in  order  to  understand,  and  take 
part  in  the  proceedings.  These  protested  against  uniting 
with  a  body  whose  language  they  could  not  understand. 
Nor  could  they  or  their  pastors  be  censured  for  this, 
although  the  latter  could,  in  the  course  of  time,  have 


90     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

become  familiar  enough  with  the  language  so  as  to  follow 
the  proceedings.  But  not  so  with  the  congregations,  to 
which,  as  well  as  to  the  pastors,  it  was  a  serious  handicap. 
Had  the  congregations  been  composed  mostly  of  de- 
scendants of  Swedes,  it  would  have  been  different.  But 
as  the  English  Mission  work  embraced  especially  all 
unchurched  Lutherans  of  every  nationality,  some  of  the 
Mission  congregations  had  mostly  of  German,  others  of 
Norwegian  stock,  with  few  or  no  Swedes.  Others  had 
the  descendants  of  five  or  six  different  nationalities. 
It  was,  therefore,  quite  natural  that  those  should  desire 
to  belong  to  an  entirely  English  Synod.  That  several 
congregations,  therefore,  requested  to  be  dismissed,  to 
unite  with  an  entirely  English  Synod,  which  request 
was  granted,  was  no  reflection  on  the  Augustana  Synod. 
Neither  did  such  withdrawal  prove  a  lack  of  interest  on 
the  part  of  the  Swedes  in  the  English  work.  It  only 
meant  a  change  of  conditions,  and  it  tended  to  stimulate 
them  to  greater  activity  in  the  extension  of  the  Church 
in  the  English  language. 


Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  Jr. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  NEW  ERA 

Up  to  1888  the  English  Mission  work  of  the  General 
Council  was  done  through  an  English  Home  Mission 
Committee  which  called  and  dealt  directly  with  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  to  which  they  rendered  quarterly  reports. 
It  did  not  come  in  direct  touch  with  the  missionaries 
through  any  one  appointed  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the 
work,  by  studying  the  field  and  becoming  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  existing  conditions.  In  September, 
1887,  the  General  Council  met  in  Greenville,  Pa.  and  the 
missionary  in  Minneapolis  was  a  delegate  from  the  Augus- 
tana  Synod.  Although  St.  John's  congregation  was  still 
a  feeble  mission,  numbering  about  eighty  (80)  communi- 
cants, half  of  which  were  under  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
invited  the  body  to  hold  its  next  convention  in  St.  John's 
Church,  Minneapolis.  Before  tendering  the  invitation 
he  had  consulted  with  the  pastor  of  the  Swedish  Augustana 
congregation,  the  Rev.  C.  J.  Petri,  who  promised  his 
co-operation,  and  would  not  only  take  care  of  all  the 
Swedish  delegates,  but  open  his  church  for  any  special 
meetings.  It  was  the  first  time  the  Council  had  been 
invited  to  be  the  guests  of  one  of  the  missions  it  had 
founded,  and  the  invitation  was  accepted.  The  English 
pastors  and  professors  did  all  in  their  power  to  stir  up  an 
interest  in  the  Eastern  portion  of  the  Church,  through  the 
"Lutheran"  and  by  private  correspondence,  so  as  to  make 
the  1888  a  record  convention.    This  marked  the  begin- 

91 


92     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ning  of  a  new  era  in  the  English  Mission  work.  Several 
weeks  before  the  meeting,  the  Home  Mission  Committee 
sent  one  of  its  members,  the  Rev.  F.  J.  F.  Schantz,  D.  D., 
to  make  the  round  of  all  the  General  Council  Missions  in 
the  West,  and  inspect  the  work.  This  duty  he  faithfully 
performed,  traveling  as  far  as  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  which 
was  then  the  remotest  outpost.  As  the  .time  for  the  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Council  approached,  the  interest,  both 
East  and  West,  became  more  and  more  marked,  and  it 
was  a  great  satisfaction  to  note  that  it  was  indeed  the 
record  convention,  having  more  accredited  delegates  in 
attendance  than  were  present  at  any  previous  meeting. 
While  the  English  Home  Mission  work  always  claimed  a 
fair  share  of  attention  at  the  conventions,  the  fact  of  the 
Council  meeting  on  the  territory  of  its  greatest  Home 
Mission  field,  seemed  to  add  a  wonderful  stimulus  to  the 
consideration  of  the  report  of  the  Committee.  There 
was  the  determination  to  enlarge  and  extend  the  work 
as  far  as  possible,  and  the  Committee  was  instructed  to 
elect  a  Superintendent,  and  such  other  agents  as  would 
be  necessary  to  carry  out  its  lofty  purpose  to  extend  the 
Church. 

This  action  of  the  General  Council  soon  began  to  bear 
fruit.  Acting  upon  the  instructions  given  the  Committee 
at  Minneapolis,  the  Rev.  Wm.  A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  was 
called  as  Superintendent  of  Missions,  and  he  entered 
upon  his  work  in  July,  1889.  This  put  new  life  into  the 
Home  Mission  situation.  At  the  next  meeting  of  the 
General  Council  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  the  field  was  described 
in  the  following  language:  "Whilst  the  openings  for 
English  Mission  work  may  be  found  all  over  the  Eastern 
States,  the  main  field  for  your  Committee's  work  is  in  the 
West.     It  is  a  vast  field.    One  may  take  a  steamboat  at 


A  NEW  ERA  93 

the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  by  the  time  he 
reaches  the  head  of  navigation  in  the  Missouri,  he  will 
have  covered  a  journey  equal  to  the  distance  that  stretches 
between  New  York  and  Constantinople;  and  even  then 
he  will  be  hundreds  of  miles  within  the  interior  of  our 
immense  western  territory.  ...  It  is  a  Mission  field 
dotted  with  vast  cities  of  marvelous  growth.  In  this 
mighty  territory,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Mon- 
tana, Washington,  Oregon  and  Utah  constitute  the 
special  field  of  the  General  Council's  English  Missions. 
These  States  have  450,000  square  miles,  scores  of  cities 
and  millions  of  people.  The  Lord  has  called  us  to  the 
work  of  founding  English  churches  in  this  vast  region." 
(General  Council  Minutes,  Pittsburgh,  1889,  p.  37.) 

Soon  after  the  meeting  of  the  General  Council  in  Min- 
neapolis in  1888,  and  before  the  proposed  Missionary 
Superintendent  had  taken  charge  of  the  work,  the  Com- 
mittee's attention  was  called  to  the  importance  of  occupy- 
ing the  leading  cities  on  the  Northwest  Coast.  A  mis- 
sionary was  invited  to  go  in  December  and  explore, 
especially  Portland  in  Oregon,  and  Tacoma  and  Seattle 
in  Washington,  but  he  declined.  Two  months  later,  the 
necessity  of  prompt  action  became  pressing,  and  Rev. 
W.  K.  Frick,  professor  at  Gustavus  Adolphus  College, 
St.  Peter,  was  telegraphed  to,  to  at  once  go  and  visit 
the  Coast.  But  his  duties  at  the  college  prevented  imme- 
diate action.  Then  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Gerberding,  pastor  at 
Fargo,  N.  D.,  was  commissioned  to  go  and  canvass  the 
cities  named,  in  the  interest  of  Home  Missions.  Mr. 
Gerberding  at  once  accepted  this  special  duty  and  as  soon 
as  possible  hastened  to  the  Pacific  Coast. 

The  going  of  a  missionary  to  the  Northwest  Coast  just 
at  that  time  seemed  providential.    After  having  visited 


94     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

the  cities  Portland,  Tacoma  and  Seattle,  and  spent  three 
weeks  in  the  canvass,  he  was  surprised  on  a  Saturday 
to  meet  the  General  Home  Mission  Secretary  of  the 
General  Synod,  Dr.  S.  B.  Barnitz,  and  a  leading  member 
of  its  Home  Mission  Board,  Dr.  J.  A.  Clutz,  who  had  come 
there  to  pre-empt  the  territory  for  the  General  Synod. 
It  was  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  Mr.  Gerberding  did 
not  meet  entire  strangers,  for  he  had  been  acquainted 
with  Dr.  Barnitz  for  years.  Drs.  Barnitz  and  Clutz  were 
no  less  surprised  than  was  pastor  Gerberding.  He  im- 
pressed upon  them  that  he  had  pre-empted  the  field,  and 
protested  against  any  attempt  on  their  part  to  jump  his 
claim. 

It  was  during  that  consultation  that  he  impressed  upon 
them  that  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  ran  through 
General  Council  territory,  as  far  as  it  was  occupied,  and 
that  the  General  Council  claimed  the  Northwest.  He 
impressed  them  with  the  fact  that  there  were  a  score  of 
places  in  California  alone  that  needed  them.  There  was 
an  unofficial  agreement  between  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Gerber- 
ding as  representing  the  General  Council,  and  those 
representatives  of  the  General  Synod,  which  has  stood 
for  over  a  score  of  years,  although  it  was  often  protested 
against  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  latter  body,  when 
it  desired  to  invade  General  Council  territory.  A  joint 
Committee,  officially  appointed  by  the  General  Synod 
in  191 1,  met  a  similar  Committee  of  the  General  Council 
during  the  Fall  of  that  year,  and  after  mature  deliberation 
agreed  upon  the  division  of  territory  as  it  had  been 
unofficially  accepted.  This  agreement  was  rejected  by  the 
General  Synod  at  its  convention  in  19 13. 

After  a  five  weeks'  canvass  of  those  coast  cities  by  Mr. 
Gerberding,  he  started  East,  stopping  over  at  Salt  Lake 


A  NEW  ERA  95 

City,  Utah,  where  he  preached  in  the  Swedish  church. 
He  found  some  English  Lutherans  and  arranged  to  occupy 
that  city  with  an  English  congregation.  From  there  he 
went  to  Denver,  Col.,  where  he  found  an  old  friend,  the 
Rev.  W.  P.  Shanor,  whom  he  sent  to  Salt  Lake  City  to 
hold  the  field,  until  the  proposed  Superintendent  of 
Missions  would  come  and  set  the  work  in  motion. 

The  Mission  Superintendent,  realizing  the  importance 
of  his  office,  at  once  set  to  work  to  arouse  greater  interest 
in  the  Home  Mission  cause.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Council  in  Pittsburgh  it  was  resolved  to  fix  the 
Sunday  nearest  Reformation  Day,  October  31st,  as 
Children's  Home  Mission  Day,  for  a  special  Home  Mission 
offering.  This  was  kept  before  the  church,  and  while 
only  a  limited  number  of  congregations  fell  into  line  to 
gather  contributions  at  that  time,  there  was  seen  a  de- 
cided advance  in  the  amount  received  during  the  two 
years  ending  with  September,  1891,  over  that  of  the 
previous  biennium.  From  September,  1887,  to  September, 
1889,  the  total  receipts  were  $10,146.53,  which  was  in- 
creased during  the  next  two  years  to  $18,947.99. 

Soon  after  entering  upon  his  work,  he  made  a  tour  of  the 
Mission  field.  He  purchased  building  lots  in  the  cities 
that  had  been  visited  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  and  made  every  effort  to  secure  mis- 
sionaries for  the  several  unoccupied  stations.  The  great 
handicap  in  the  extension  of  the  work  lay  in  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  Church  Extension  Fund  from  which  loans 
could  be  made  to  the  Missions,  without  interest,  until  they 
were  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Council  in  Pittsburgh  in 
1889  the  Superintendent,  W.  A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  said  in 
his  report:     "A  difficulty  which  cramped  and  retarded^ 


96     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

us  and  increased  the  expense  of  Missions  more  than 
words  can  describe,  is  the  entire  absence  of  an  adequate 
provision  for  church  extension.  Is  it  not  time  to  face  this 
issue?  Ample  provision  should  be  made  at  this  conven- 
tion for  a  church  extension  society  or  committee."  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  report  at  the  same  conven- 
tion on  "a  plan  of  securing  a  church  extension  fund  to  aid 
in  the  work  of  Home  Missions."  That  Committee  re- 
ported the  following  recommendations: 

"i.  That  the  nature  and  importance  of  this  work  be 
especially  pressed  upon  our  congregations  by  the  pastors 
and  through  the  church  papers,  in  order  that  the  member- 
ship may  contribute  to  its  support  by  their  offerings  and  be 
led  to  remember  the  same  by  bequest  and  legacy. 

"2.  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  proper  arrangements  to  be  made  for  the 
promotion  of  church  extension,  and  that  they  confer  with 
the  Lutheran  Mission  and  Church  Extension  Society  now 
in  existence  and  approved  by  the  General  Council  in  refer- 
ence to  this  matter. 

"3.  That  until  permanent  arrangements  are  made,  all 
funds  raised  for  this  cause  be  placed  in  the  treasury  of  the 
Lutheran  Mission  and  Church  Extension  Society,  to  be 
held  and  managed  by  it  in  trust  for  the  General  Council,  in 
accordance  with  the  purposes  and  intention  of  the  donors." 

This  was  the  first  move  in  the  direction  of  a  Church 
Extension  Fund  for  the  benefit  of  the  English  work  of  the 
General  Council  beyond  the  environment  of  Philadelphia. 
In  187 1  a  number  of  ministers  and  laymen  in  Philadelphia 
organized  a  Church  Extension  Society  which  was  duly 
incorporated,  the  object  being  to  help  missions  in  that 
city  and  vicinity.  With  the  calling  of  a  Superintendent 
of  English  Home  Missions,  the  Church  Extension  idea 


Rev.  G.  II.  Gerberding,  D.D. 


A  NEW  ERA  97 

was  made  to  embrace  the  whole  General  Council,  and  every 
Synod  interested  in  the  general  English  work  was  asked  to 
contribute  to  the  fund  from  year  to  year. 

It  was  to  carry  out  this  purpose  that  the  Committee 
was  appointed  in  1889.  So  important  was  the  matter 
regarded  by  the  Committee  that  they  set  to  work  at 
once  to  perfect  arrangements  with  the  existing  Church 
Extension  Society  to  enlarge  its  scope  and  become  custo- 
dian of  the  funds  for  the  larger  work.  Although  the 
General  Council  did  not  meet  until  in  1901,  they  already 
in  January,  1890,  met  the  officers  of  the  existing  Lutheran 
Mission  and  Church  Extension  Society  in  Philadelphia, 
and  proposed  to  them  the  appointment  of  the  Rev.  W.  A. 
Passavant,  Jr.,  the  Missionary  Superintendent,  as  an 
agent  for  the  collection  of  funds  for  the  purpose  of  Church 
Extension.  This  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  following 
by  the  Society: 

Resolved,  "That  in  accordance  with  the  action  taken  by 
the  General  Council  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
in  North  America,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Pittsburgh,  in 
October,  1889,  and  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  English  Home  Missions  of  the  General  Council, 
the  Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  the  Superintendent  of 
English  Home  Missions  of  the  General  Council,  be  author- 
ized to  act  in  the  name  and  by  authority  of  this  Society 
in  presenting  the  objects  and  powers  of  this  Society  to 
individuals  and  congregations;  incidentally,  in  con- 
nection with  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  Superin- 
tendent of  English  Home  Missions,  and  that  he  be  re- 
quested to  specially  indicate  the  willingness  of  this  Society 
to  act  as  custodian  or  depository  of  any  funds  intended 
for  objects  of  Church  Extension,  and  to  take  and  hold 
the  title  of  any  lot  or  lots  of  ground  intended  to  be  pur- 


98     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

chased  or  donated  for  the  erection  of  church  buildings." 
It  also  resolved,  "That  this  Society  report  to  the  General 
Council  at  its  annual  meeting  any  action  taken  by  this 
Society  in  connection  with  Church  Extension  operations 
of  the  General  Council." 

By  this  action  of  the  existing  Church  Extension  Society, 
it  was  virtually  made  part  of  the  General  Council's  mach- 
inery to  promote  the  English  Home  Mission  work.  Mr. 
Passavant  at  once  began  to  interest  the  congregations,  as 
far  as  possible,  in  the  church  extension  work,  feeling  con- 
vinced that  the  General  Council  would  at  its  next  conven- 
tion, in  October,  1891,  adopt  the  Committee's  recom- 
mendations. This  added  fresh  stimulus  to  the  Home 
mission  work;  for,  with  a  Church  Extension  Fund,  from 
which  loans,  without  interest,  could  be  made  to  needy 
missions,  many  points  could  be  occupied  which  would 
otherwise  have  to  be  passed  by. 

The  Superintendent  of  English  Home  Missions,  as 
Agent  of  the  Church  Extension  Society,  proposed  that  the 
season  of  Lent  would  be  most  appropriate  for  church  ex- 
tension offerings,  and  by  the  use  of  pyramids  for  the 
gathering  of  the  offerings,  interested  the  Sunday  schools, 
which  responded  heartily  from  the  beginning,  wherever 
their  interest  was  enlisted  by  conscientious  pastors. 

It  was  at  that  meeting  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  1891, 
that  the  Home  Mission  Committee  ceased  to  exist,  and 
became  the  "Board  of  English  Home  Missions." 

It  can  be  truly  said  that  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Council  in  Minneapolis  in  1888,  and  the  calling  of  a 
Superintendent  of  English  Home  Missions  marked  the 
beginning  of  the  more  rapid  development  of  the  English 
Home  Mission  work,  causing  it  in  a  short  time  to  reach 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Coast. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


EXTENDING   EASTWARD 


Up  to  January,  1890,  there  was  no  organized  English 
Lutheran  congregation  in  any  of  the  cities  of  Wisconsin. 
Since  1883  the  Twin  Cities,  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  were  the  centre  of  Northwestern  English  Home 
Mission  operations.  From  there  the  work  expanded 
northward  and  southward  and  westward,  but  the  older 
state,  Wisconsin,  and  the  older  and  larger  city,  Mil- 
waukee, was  still  without  an  English  Lutheran  Church. 
This  may  seem  strange,  especially  since  the  great  cham- 
pion of  English  Missions,  Dr.  Passavant,  had  founded  a 
hospital  there  already  in  1863.  But  Milwaukee  was 
pre-eminently  a  German  city,  and  did  not  seem  so  ripe  for 
English  work,  and  peculiar  difficulties  seemed  to  be  in  the 
way  of  making  a  beginning  by  a  Committee  of  the  General 
Council.  But  after  the  meeting  in  Minneapolis  the  eyes 
of  the  Home  Mission  Committee  began  to  be  turned  east- 
ward as  well  as  westward. 

In  the  Spring  of  1889  the  Rev.  W.  K.  Frick  resigned  his 
position  as  professor  in  Gustavus  Adolphus  College,  and 
the  hand  of  Providence  pointed  to  Milwaukee,  to  which 
point  he  was  called  by  the  Home  Mission  Committee  to 
lay  the  foundation  for  an  English  congregation.  He 
arrived  in  the  metropolis  of  that  great  Lutheran  State  on 
September  17,  1889.  He  there  met  with  practically  the 
same  experience  as  did  the  first  missionary  in  Minneapolis. 

99 


ioo     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

He  was  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  without  any  clue  as 
to  where  or  how  to  begin.  He  called  on  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Jensen,  pastor  of  a  Norwegian  Church  of  the  Norwegian 
Augustana  Synod  (the  following  June  this  body  was 
merged  in  the  United  Norwegian  Church,  and  this  same 
pastor,  J.  C.  Jensen  Roseland,  became  the  first  Secretary 
of  that  body,  an  office  which  he  has  retained  ever  since). 
In  Pastor  Jensen,  the  English  Missionary  found  a  true 
friend  and  brother,  who  gave  him  every  possible  en- 
couragement. With  his  aid  a  hall  was  found,  which, 
though  centrally  located,  was  rather  difficult  of  access, 
being  a  rear  room,  on  the  third  story.  After  three  weeks 
of  earnest  work  in  trying  to  find  Lutherans  who  were 
interested  in  English  services,  the  first  service  was  held 
October  13  th,  with  twenty-seven  present.  A  Sunday 
school  was  begun,  and  on  January  5,  1890,  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Church  of  the  Redeemer  was  organized. 

But  a  Mission  cannot  live  long  and  prosper  in  an  in- 
convenient hall,  hence  the  question  of  a  church  property 
at  once  became  a  vital  one.  As  lots  centrally  located 
were  exceedingly  high,  help  was  needed,  and  a  man  was 
found  who  would  advance  the  money  at  a  reasonable  inter- 
est. Mr.  J.  A.  Bohn,  of  St.  John's  Church,  Minneapolis, 
had  already  advanced  money  to  secure  lots  for  churches 
at  the  western  outposts,  and  his  kindness  made  it  possible 
for  the  mission  in  Milwaukee,  within  a  year  from  its  or- 
ganization, to  worship  in  their  own  church  home.  The 
corner  stone  was  laid  on  September  14,  1890,  and  the 
church  consecrated  on  December  14th.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  a  work  which  in  the  course  of  time  began  to 
expand,  showing  not  only  the  importance,  but  also  the 
ripeness,  of  the  field  for  English  Lutheran  work. 

The  Rev.  W.  K.  Frick  was  the  man  adapted  for  the 


Rev.  W.  K.  Frick,  D.D. 


EXTENDING  EASTWARD  ioi 

work  of  laying  the  foundation  in  the  metropolis  of  Wis- 
consin. He  looked  southward  and  saw  the  city  of  Racine, 
which  he  visited  in  1891,  and  held  English  services 
semi-monthly,  for  which  he  secured  the  use  of  the  Nor- 
wegian church.  But  it  was  impossible  to  do  efficient 
work  in  two  cities  at  the  same  time,  so  after  the  lapse 
of  several  months,  he  discontinued  at  Racine,  devoting 
all  his  energies  to  Milwaukee. 

For  eight  years  there  was  but  one  English  Lutheran 
church  in  the  great  Lutheran  State  of  Wisconsin.  Con- 
gregations had  been  planted  in  Minnesota  and  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  but  nothing  had  as  yet  been  done  in  the 
growing  cities  of  the  Badger  State.  Mr.  J.  A.  Bohn,  of 
Minneapolis,  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  English  Home 
Missions,  the  meetings  of  which  he  conscientiously  at- 
tended, and  where  he  kept  the  work  in  the  Northwest 
constantly  before  the  body.  While  pressing  home  the 
interests  of  the  Church  in  the  Northwest,  at  a  meeting 
held  early  in  1898,  he  was  asked,  "What  are  the  congre- 
gations in  the  Northwest  doing  to  advance  the  work? 
What  fields  are  you  opening  up?"  Upon  his  return  he 
said,  "We  must  be  more  aggressive  and  show  the  Church 
in  the  East  that  we  are  intensely  in  earnest  in  pushing  the 
work  here,  if  we  want  their  assistance  in  building  up 
English  congregations  in  the  Northwest."  He  called  on 
Hon.  C.  A.  Smith,  a  member  of  Salem  Church,  Minne- 
apolis, and  proposed  that  they  jointly  provide  for  the 
beginning  of  work  in  the  cities  of  La  Crosse  and  Racine, 
Wis.  Mr.  Earnest  A.  Trabert,  who  had  just  graduated 
from  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  was  called  to 
begin  work  in  La  Crosse,  and  student  C.  K.  Lippard 
was  called  to  Racine.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Trabert  did  not  know 
a  soul  in  La  Crosse,  and  it  was  not  an  easy  task  for  an  in- 


102     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

experienced  young  man  to  begin  work  in  a  strange  city 
with  no  point  of  vantage  whatever  from  which  to  start. 
After  looking  over  the  field  for  some  time,  he  at  length 
rented  a  hall  and  made  known  as  far  as  possible,  through 
the  papers,  that  English  Lutheran  services  would  be  held 
June  5,  1898,  both  morning  and  evening.  The  attendance 
at  the  morning  service  was  not  very  encouraging,  only 
six  having  found  the  place.  But  in  the  evening  some 
thirty  appeared,  and  they  were  so  deeply  interested  that 
the  collection  more  than  covered  the  hall  rent.  On 
June  1 6th  he  was  ordained  at  the  meeting  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  in  St.  John's  Church, 
Minneapolis,  and  became  the  regular  pastor  of  the  Mis- 
sion in  La  Crosse. 

After  continuing  the  work  for  several  months,  he  was 
able,  on  September  9th,  to  organize  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  with  nine  charter 
members. 

The  work  at  Racine  was  begun  simultaneously  with  the 
work  at  La  Crosse.  Student  Lippard,  while  also  an  entire 
stranger,  had  this  advantage,  that  he  was  acquainted  with 
a  Danish  Lutheran  pastor  in  whose  church  he  could 
hold  the  first  service  on  Sunday  afternoon,  May  8th. 
The  Danish  congregation  kindly  granted  the  use  of  their 
building  until  an  organization  was  effected  in  September. 
At  a  meeting  held  on  September  4,  1898,  at  which  the  Rev. 
W.  K.  Frick,  of  Milwaukee,  presided,  thirty-four  charter 
members  united  in  the  organization  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion.  This  was 
by  far  the  strongest  mission  congregation  that  had  been 
hitherto  organized  in  the  Northwest.  For  two  years  this 
mission  was  kept  alive  by  students  from  the  Theological 
Seminary  in  Chicago,  until  May  1,  1900,  when  student 


EXTENDING  EASTWARD  103 

G.  F.  Gehr  was  called  as  permanent  pastor,  who  took 
regular  charge  after  his  ordination  June  21st. 

There  were  numerous  other  points  in  Wisconsin  which 
were  as  ripe  for  work  as  those  occupied,  but  the  men  and 
the  means  were  lacking  to  occupy  the  fields  at  once.  But 
the  work  that  was  being  done  attracted  attention,  and  calls 
came  from  different  places  to  come  and  begin  English 
services.  Ten  miles  south  of  Racine,  on  Lake  Michigan, 
is  the  city  of  Kenosha.  Some  of  the  faithful  Lutherans 
in  this  city,  who  realized  the  importance  of  work  in  the 
English  language,  heard  of  the  church  in  Racine,  and  paid 
it  a  visit  during  the  summer  of  1900.  They  were  so  im- 
pressed that  they  requested  its  pastor,  the  Rev.  G.  F. 
Gehr,  to  start  a  similar  work  in  their  city.  In  the  latter 
part  of  August  a  meeting  was  held  in  a  private  house,  and 
a  committee  appointed  to  secure  a  hall  and  begin  work. 
The  first  service  was  held  on  Sunday  afternoon,  September 
2d.  So  encouraging  was  the  outlook  that  two  students 
were  secured  to  carry  on  the  work  during  the  Winter. 
On  February  3,  1901,  a  permanent  organization  with  four- 
teen charter  members  was  effected.  In  the  Spring  a  regu- 
lar pastor  was  called  and  the  work  developed  rapidly. 
There  were  now  three  congregations  in  the  eastern  end  of 
the  State  of  Wisconsin,  which  wasonly,  the  beginning  of 
a  greater  work  destined  to  gradually  expand  westward 
and  northward,  with  Milwaukee  as  the  center. 

To  show  the  ripeness  of  the  field  in  Wisconsin,  it  is  but 
necessary  to  mention  Platteville,  in  the  southwestern  part 
of  the  State,  in  the  celebrated  zinc  and  lead  mining  region. 
Early  in  1902  a  number  of  persons  from  that  city  re- 
quested to  be  organized  into  an  English  congregation. 
The  Rev.  Geo.  P.  Kabele,  then  of  Goshen,  Ind.,  a  native 
of  Platteville,  went  there  and  effected  a  temporary  or- 


104     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ganization.  In  June,  of  the  same  year,  a  permanent  or- 
ganization was  effected  with  56  charter  members.  The 
congregation  thus  organized  called  a  pastor,  being  self- 
supporting  from  the  start.  Had  it  been  possible  at  that 
time  to  place  two  or  three  field  missionaries  in  the 
State  of  Wisconsin,  and  a  permanent  pastor  settled  in 
every  important  city  as  soon  as  a  congregation  had  been 
regularly  organized,  the  gain  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
would  have  been  very  great  indeed. 

When  the  resources  at  hand  are  considered,  the  work 
has  made  very  good  progress  during  the  time  since  it 
spread  beyond  Milwaukee.  All  beginnings  in  a  new 
territory  are  difficult.  A  tree  must  be  thoroughly  rooted 
before  rapid  growth  can  be  expected.  But  then,  if  the 
growth  is  retarded  by  neglect  or  the  lack  of  proper  culti- 
vation, it  is  much  to  be  regretted,  for  when  once  it  is 
stunted  in  its  growth,  the  loss  is  irreparable.  The  Church 
must,  therefore,  be  on  its  guard  that  it  do  not  permit  a 
drought  of  indifference  or  neglect  to  blast  the  growth  of 
the  English  Lutheran  work  in  the  Northwest,  for  every 
State  and  province  presents  a  field  in  which  there  are 
great  possibilities.  Jesus  says:  "No  man,  having  put 
his  hand  to  the  plow,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the 
kingdom  of  God"  (Luke  9: 62).  This  applies  to  the 
Church  as  well  as  to  individuals.  The  interests  of  all  the 
souls  that  can  be  saved  by  aggressive  work  are  at  stake 
if  that  work  is  neglected.  The  enemy  is  at  work  every- 
where to  prevent  the  building  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Every  neglect  on  the  part  of  the  Church,  from  whatever 
cause,  is  giving  advantage  to  the  enemy.  Let  the  Church 
continue  to  realize  her  responsibility. 


Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Milwaukee 


CHAPTER  XIV 

STIMULATING   INFLUENCES 

No  good  work  can  be  undertaken  and  carried  forward 
without  exerting  an  influence  outside  of  those  directly  in- 
terested in  it.  When  the  first  English  missionary  came 
to  Minneapolis,  he  found  a  number  of  Lutheran  Bohe- 
mians (Slovaks)  living  in  a  settlement  along  the  river, 
commonly  called  "the  Bohemian  flats."  Two  of  the 
families  could  speak  English  fairly  well,  and  one  of  them 
was  quite  intelligent  and  proficient  in  German.  The 
"flats"  had  a  bad  reputation  because  of  the  carousing 
going  on  there  on  Sunday,  the  bulk  of  the  population 
being  Catholic  and  many  of  them  given  to  drink.  Form- 
ing the  acquaintance  of  the  leading  Lutheran  Bohemians 
and  finding  how  they  were  entirely  neglected,  the  English 
missionary  became  interested  in  their  welfare.  He  soon 
gained  their  confidence  and  was  frequently  called  upon 
for  ministerial  acts,  such  as  baptisms  and  weddings. 
Desiring  to  give  them  all  the  spiritual  consolation  possible, 
and  to  keep  them  in  touch  with  the  Gospel,  he  proposed  a 
weekly  service  in  one  of  their  homes  until  such  time  when 
they  could  be  taken  care  of  by  a  pastor  who  could  officiate 
in  their  own  language. 

The  great  majority  of  the  people  were  not  at  all  familiar 
with  the  English  language  and  could  receive  no  benefit 
except  through  an  interpreter.  It  was  arranged  to  have 
the  service  every  Wednesday  evening  in  one  of  the  largest 

105 


106     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

houses  of  the  settlement.  The  people  were  requested 
to  bring  their  Bohemian  hymn  books  with  them.  The 
man  familiar  both  with  English  and  German  seemed  to 
be  a  spiritually  minded  man,  and  he  promised  to  act  as 
interpreter.  Quite  a  number,  men  and  women,  twenty 
or  more,  came  to  the  meetings,  which  were  opened  by  sing- 
ing a  hymn  in  their  native  tongue,  and  the  heartiness  with 
which  they  sang  the  old  Lutheran  chorals  reminded  almost 
of  a  German  congregation.  After  the  singing,  a  chapter 
of  the  Bible  was  read  in  English,  and  then  in  Bohemian 
by  the  interpreter.  This  was  followed  by  another  Bo- 
hemian hymn.  Then  the  passage  read  was  explained  in 
English,  and  interpreted  into  Bohemian.  A  prayer  fol- 
lowed in  English  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Bohemian. 
Another  hymn  and  the  benediction  concluded  the  service. 
This  was  kept  up  for  about  a  year,  when  the  family  in 
whose  home  the  services  were  held  moved  to  another  part 
of  the  city,  and  subsequently  became  members  of  St. 
John's  English  congregation,  and  the  interpreter  moved 
on  a  farm. 

By  those  services  the  people  were  aroused  to  again 
take  interest  in  religion,  and  to  long  for  a  Lutheran  church. 
They  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Herman  Droppa,  a  Slovak  pastor 
in  Streator,  111.,  requesting  him  to  come  and  administer 
to  them  the  Lord's  Supper.  He  came,  and  the  first  com- 
munion administered  in  Minneapolis,  to  the  subsequent 
Slovak  congregation,  was  in  St.  John's  English  Lutheran 
Church,  the  service  being  held  in  the  afternoon.  But  the 
people  were  still  without  a  pastor  who  could  regularly 
organize  them  and  minister  to  them  in  holy  things. 
Nevertheless,  the  fact  that  there  was  a  Bohemian 
service  attracted  attention,  and  the  German  Missouri 
pastor  began  to  interest  himself  in  those  people.      The 


STIMULATING  INFLUENCES  107 

Rev.  J.  Houser,  a  German  Slovak,  was  sent  for,  who 
regularly  organized  the  congregation  and  became  its 
first  pastor. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  English  Mission  in 
Minneapolis,  a  large  number  of  Germans  began  to  settle 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  city.  There  were  then  two 
German  congregations,  one  on  the  south  side,  belonging 
to  the  Missouri  Synod,  and  one  northeast,  belonging  to  the 
Wisconsin  Synod.  On  the  north  side  there  was  a  German 
Evangelical  (unirt)  congregation  which  claimed  to  be 
Lutheran,  but  had  a  disreputable  pastor  who  afterward 
became  quite  notorious.  Among  those  German  families 
on  the  north  side,  one  united  with  St.  John's  congregation, 
but  the  mother  could  have  little  benefit  from  an  English 
service,  and  consequently  occasionally  visited  the  pseudo- 
Lutheran  church  in  her  vicinity.  Moreover,  the  German 
Methodists  and  Baptists  put  forth  their  best  efforts  to 
proselyte  the  Germans.  Several  families  attended  the 
Missouri  Church  on  the  south  side,  and  once  in  a  while 
the  pastor  held  a  service  on  the  north  side,  but  no  effort 
was  made  to  gather  the  people  into  a  congregation,  and 
supply  them  with  a  regular  pastor.  In  order  to  keep  the 
people  from  going  entirely  adrift  even  the  English  mis- 
sionary held  several  German  services,  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, in  a  Norwegian  Church.  But  a  mere  make-shift 
accomplishes  little.  The  English  missionary  wrote  to 
Dr.  S.  Fritschel,  of  the  Iowa  Synod,  to  send  a  German 
missionary  to  Minneapolis.  The  call  was  at  the  time 
unheeded.  When  he  met  Dr.  Fritschel  at  the  next  meeting 
of  the  General  Council  in  1886  the  situation  was  explained, 
and  the  following  September  the  Rev.  L.  Weyrauch,  of 
Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  came,  and  in  six  weeks  the  German 
St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was  organized, 


ioS     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

a  church  property  purchased,  and  a  pastor  called  to  take 
charge  of  the  work.  When  the  Missourians  found  that 
the  Iowa  Synod  had  secured  a  foothold  in  Minneapolis, 
they  made  haste  to  organize  another  congregation  in  the 
same  section  of  the  city,  but  St.  Peter's  Church  in  a  few 
years  became  the  strongest  German  congregation  in 
Minneapolis. 

In  1883,  when  the  English  work  was  organized,  there 
were  only  two  Swedish  congregations  in  Minneapolis, 
the  second  one,  on  the  north  side,  quite  feeble,  but  the 
Scandinavian  immigration  was  becoming  quite  extensive, 
and  they  settled  in  every  part  of  the  city,  not  a  few  locat- 
ing on  the  east  side.  The  importance  of  extending  the 
Swedish  work,  and  establishing  congregations  in  different 
parts  of  the  city,  was  very  evident  from  the  manner  in 
which  the  so-called  "Mission  Friends"  and  Methodists 
and  Baptists  were  working  to  draw  the  Lutherans  into 
their  sectarian  nets.  At  a  Conference  Meeting  in  Water- 
town,  Minn.,  the  English  missionary  in  Minneapolis 
made  a  plea  that  a  Swedish  Mission  be  started  as  soon 
as  possible  on  the  east  side.  He  had  the  satisfaction,  a 
few  months  later,  of  being  present  at  the  organization 
of  the  Immanuel  Swedish  congregation.  The  English 
work,  instead  of  being  a  detriment  to  the  work  done  by 
the  different  nationalities,  acted,  in  fact,  as  a  stimulant, 
so  that  greater  activity  was  shown,  especially  by  the 
Germans  and  Swedes,  than  would  have  been  the  case 
had  there  not  been  an  English  Mission  founded. 

The  English  missionaries  were,  as  a  rule,  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  the  other  Lutheran  pastors;  although  the 
Missourians  in  St.  Paul  looked  askance  at  the  English 
work,  because  they  were  not  especially  in  love  with  the 
General  Council.    But  in  Minneapolis,  where  there  was 


STIMULATING  INFLUENCES  109 

but  one  congregation  belonging  to  the  Missouri  Synod, 
there  was  always  a  very  cordial  feeling  between  its  pastor 
and  the  English  missionary.  There  was  no  attempt  at 
proselyting,  or  the  drawing  away  of  members  of  the 
German,  Swedish  or  Norwegian  churches,  to  swell  the 
English  ranks;  hence,  there  was  no  friction  which  would 
act  as  a  detriment  in  the  development  of  the  Church,  but 
all  parties  were  stimulated  to  greater  activity  in  then- 
special  fields  of  work. 

It  can  be  safely  said  that  the  beginning  of  English 
missionary  work  in  the  Northwest  was  indirectly  re- 
sponsible for  far  greater  activity  on  the  part  of  the  differ- 
ent nationalities  in  their  effort  to  extend  their  own  work, 
than  would  have  been  the  case  had  they  not  come  into 
touch  with  the  English  work.  The  method  of  work  on 
the  part  of  the  English  pastors  was  so  different  from 
that  of  either  the  German  or  Scandinavians  that  it 
could  not  help  to  attract  attention.  A  number  of  years 
after  the  work  had  been  established,  a  Norwegian  pastor, 
with  whom  the  first  English  missionary  was  well  ac- 
quainted, and  who  before  his  ordination  frequently  at- 
tended the  English  services,  openly  acknowledged  what 
benefit  the  method  of  the  English  pastors  in  doing  mis- 
sionary work  had  been  to  him.  He  said,  "I  never  knew 
the  meaning  of  the  words  of  Christ  in  Luke  14  :  23,  where 
he  says:  'Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 
compel  them  to  come  in,'  until  I  saw  how  you  did  mis- 
sionary work."  It  was  the  general  custom  not  to  call 
on  the  people  except  in  case  of  sickness,  or  when  a  child 
was  to  be  baptized,  or  some  other  special  pastoral  work 
was  necessary;  whereas,  the  English  pastors  did  house  to 
house  visiting,  calling  again  and  again  on  the  unchurched, 
getting  their  children  into  the  Sunday  school,  and  trying 


no     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

to  remain  in  touch  with  all  the  people  interested  by 
systematic  visitations.  Today  the  same  method  is 
employed  by  all  the  younger  ministers  of  the  different 
nationalities,  and  the  result  is  a  more  rapid  extension  of 
the  Church. 


Holy  Trinity  Church,  Seattle 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   SYNOD  OF  THE   NORTHWEST 

The  idea  of  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Passavant,  D.  D.,  was 
that  an  entirely  English  Synod  should  in  the  course  of 
time  be  developed  in  the  Northwest.  He  reasoned  that, 
inasmuch  as  the  English  congregations  would  necessarily 
be  composed  of  the  representatives  or  descendants  of  all 
nationalities,  it  would  be  impractical  for  them  to  be 
united  with  any  particular  Synod  speaking  a  foreign  tongue, 
be  it  Swedish,  Norwegian  or  German.  When  the  first 
missionary  was  on  his  way  to  inspect  the  field  in  April, 
1882,  he  stopped  over  in  Pittsburgh,  the  headquarters  of 
the  General  Council  Home  Mission  Committee,  where  the 
Doctor  gave  him  special  instructions  as  to  the  course  to 
be  pursued  in  the  organizing  of  the  English  work,  and 
that  a  separate  English  Synod  would  in  a  few  years  grow 
up  on  the  territory.  This  has  already  been  touched  upon 
in  Chapter  III. 

When  the  missionary  reached  Minneapolis,  he  found  that 
the  idea  of  the  Swedish  pastors  was  quite  the  opposite  to 
that  of  Dr.  Passavant.  They  claimed  that,  inasmuch  as 
the  Augustana  Synod  belonged  to  the  General  Council,  all 
English  congregations  organized  on  their  territory,  where 
no  other  General  Council  Synod  existed,  should  unite  with 
the  Swedish  Synod  and  be  under  its  jurisdiction.  This 
condition  of  things  led  the  missionary  to  return  after 
remaining  only  a  few  days.  He  felt  convinced  that, 
unless  the  question  as  to  the  Synodical  connection  of  the 

ill 


112     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

mission  congregations  to  be  organized  was  first  settled, 
there  would  be  friction  from  the  beginning,  and  the  work 
of  building  up  English  congregations  would  be  rendered 
doubly  difficult. 

He  wrote  out  his  report,  setting  forth  the  exact  condi- 
tions as  he  found  them,  stating  that  he  could  not  consider 
the  call  unless  the  question  of  Synodical  relations  was 
settled.  Dr.  Passavant,  Chairman  of  the  Home  Mission 
Committee,  at  once  arranged  to  attend  the  meeting  of  the 
Augustana  Synod  in  Altona,  111.,  June  15  to  22,  1882. 
He  there  requested  an  expression  of  the  Synod  with  respect 
to  the  contemplated  English  work.  After  a  lengthy  dis- 
cussion the  following  was  adopted: 

"Whereas  there  has  been  a  misunderstanding  between 
our  Synod  and  the  English  Home  Mission  Committee  of 
the  General  Council  in  reference  to  the  English  Missions 
in  the  Northwest,  be  it  hereby  resolved, 

"First,  That  we  approve  of  the  Mission  of  the  General 
Council  at  Minneapolis,  St.  Paul  and  Red  Wing,  provided 
that  said  mission  will  stand  in  ecclesiastical  connection 
with  and  be  regulated  by  our  Synod. 

"Second,  That  the  Home  Mission  Committee  of  the 
Augustana  Synod  be  and  is  hereby  authorized  to  enter 
into  correspondence  and  co-operation  with  the  English 
Mission  Committee  of  the  General  Council  in  order  to 
establish  an  English  Mission  in  the  cities  above  men- 
tioned." 

This  action  was  in  harmony  with  the  action  of  the  Gen- 
eral Council  at  its  meeting  in  Pittsburgh,  in  1868,  where 
by-laws  for  the  Executive  Committee  on  Home  Missions 
were  adopted.  In  the  second  By-Law  is  the  following 
(see  Minutes,  p.  19):  "The  Committee  shall  not  establish 
or  have  control  of  Missions  within  the  territory  of  a 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  113 

Synod  in  regular  connection  with  the  General  Council 
except  in  co-operation  with,  and  through  the  agency  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  Missions  of  such  Synod,  or 
with  its  consent." 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Council  in  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  November  9  to  15,  1882,  there  was  a  committee  of 
one  from  each  Synod  appointed  to  "recommend  a  plan  for 
conducting  Home  Mission  work."  Among  the  "Regula- 
tions for  Home  Mission  Work"  adopted,  the  fifth  para- 
graph reads:  "That  where  a  Mission  congregation  is 
organized  out  of  materials  from  existing  churches  in  con- 
nection with  the  General  Council,  said  Mission  congre- 
gation, together  with  its  pastor,  shall  belong  to  the  Synod 
to  which  the  mother  church  belongs." 

This  action  cleared  the  ecclesiastical  atmosphere,  and 
the  result  was  that  the  congregations  in  Minneapolis, 
St.  Paul  and  Red  Wing,  together  with  the  pastors,  became 
members  of  the  Augustana  Synod.  But  it  is  a  fact  that 
only  two  of  the  congregations  were  composed  largely  of 
material  from  Augustana  Synod  congregations,  namely, 
St.  John's,  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul's,  Red  Wing.  Even 
Memorial,  St.  Paul,  had  but  a  minimum  of  Swedish 
members.  In  fact,  of  those  gathered  into  the  English 
congregations,  but  a  comparatively  few  were  members 
that  came  "from  existing  churches  in  connection  with  the 
General  Council."  The  majority  were  persons  who  had 
stood  aloof  from  the  church  for  years,  and  the  children 
of  the  mass  of  unchurched  Lutherans,  who  were  con- 
firmed by  the  English  pastors,  and  who  took  no  interest 
whatever  in  the  Augustana  Synod. 

Moreover,  as  the  work  expanded,  and  distant  cities 
were  occupied,  the  conditions  changed.  In  Fargo,  for 
example,    there    was    no    Swedish    congregation.    The 


114     ENGLISH  LUTHERANTSM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

majority  that  formed  the  congregation  organized  there 
were  of  Norwegian  and  German  stock,  and  could  not 
according  to  its  own  action  be  claimed  by  the  Augustana 
Synod.  As  Dr.  Sjoblom  put  it:  "Fargo  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  Augustana  Synod  territory."  It  was  different 
with  Trinity  congregation  on  the  west  side  of  St.  Paul. 
While  it  was  on  Augustana  Synod  territory,  it  had  not  a 
single  Swede  in  the  original  organization,  and  not  being 
able  to  understand  the  language,  refused  to  unite  with 
the  Synod.  They  were  entirely  within  their  rights  ac- 
cording to  the  "Regulations"  adopted  at  Lancaster,  Ohio. 

When  the  work  extended  to  Eastern  Wisconsin  and 
Milwaukee  was  occupied,  the  majority  of  the  congrega- 
tion organized  was  of  German  stock,  and  it  was  entirely 
outside  of  the  Augustana  Synod's  territory.  In  this  way 
a  number  of  congregations  were  called  into  being  that 
could  not  feel  at  home  in  the  Synod  in  which  some  others 
were  quite  comfortable,  and  what  Dr.  Passavant  foresaw 
proved  itself  a  fact,  that  to  require  congregations  com- 
posed of  a  polyglot  element  to  unite  with  a  Synod  speak- 
ing a  foreign  language  was  impracticable. 

But  with  the  organization  of  congregations  in  different 
parts,  that  declined  to  unite  with  the  Synod  occupying 
the  territory,  because  of  the  language,  there  arose  a  new 
difficulty.  Some  of  those  congregations  stood  indepen- 
dent, and  hence  were  not  subject  to  any  Synodical 
discipline.  This  claimed  the  attention  of  the  Augustana 
Synod  during  its  convention  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  June 
16  to  24,  1890,  where  the  president  of  the  Synod  was 
instructed  to  enter  into  correspondence  with  the  Home 
Mission  Committee  of  the  General  Council  with  respect 
to  the  irregularities  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries  which 
are  sent  out  to  organize  congregations  on  the  territory 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  115 

of  the  Augustana  Synod.  Reference  is  made  to  this 
through  its  Superintendent  in  the  report  of  the  Home 
Mission  Committee,  to  the  General  Council  at  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  October  15  to  20,  1891,  as  follows  (see  Minutes, 
pp.  95,  96) :  "In  November  of  last  year,  a  communication 
from  the  President  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  addressed 
to  this  Committee,  through  the  President  of  the  Council, 
calls  attention  to  two  supposed  irregularities  alleged  by 
the  Minnesota  Conference  of  that  Synod  to  exist  in  our 
work:  First,  That  congregations  organized  by  our  mis- 
sionaries adopt  constitutions  not  in  harmony  with  the 
constitution  of  the  Augustana  Synod;  and,  second,  That 
they  put  themselves  and  congregations  in  no  Synodical 
connection  and  are  consequently  not  amenable  to  proper 
discipline." 

The  Committee  returned  a  courteous  answer,  replying: 
"First,  That  the  Committee  could  not  recommend  any 
other  constitution  for  congregations  except  that  pre- 
ferred and  recommended  by  the  General  Council;  second, 
That  all  our  missionaries  are  members  of  regular  Lutheran 
Synods  connected  with  the  General  Council,  and  both 
missionaries  and  congregations  are  under  the  rules  and 
subject  to  the  strict  oversight  of  this  Committee." 

The  correspondence  is  given  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
Augustana  Synod  for  1891,  pages  23-25,  and  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Philadelphia,  Dec.  19,   i$90 
Rev.  S.  P.  A.  Lindahl, 

Pres.  of  Swedish  Augustana  Synod, 
Rev.  and  Dear  Brother: 

Your  official  letter  to  Rev.  Dr.  Krotel,  President  of  the 
General  Council,  containing  and  explaining  a  resolution 
passed    by    your    Synod    June   23,   1890,  touching  the 


Il6     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

management  and  regulation  of  English  Home  Missions 
of  the  General  Council,  was  sent  to  the  English  Home 
Mission  Committee  of  the  General  Council.  The  same 
in  full,  with  letter  of  the  President  of  the  Council  transmit- 
ting it,  was  laid  before  the  Committee  at  its  recent  meet- 
ing, December  15th  and  16th,  and  carefully  considered. 

Taking  the  resolution  and  your  explanations  together, 
three  or  four  points  were  found  to  be  included: 

1.  That  our  mission  congregations  have  been  organized 
with  "constitutions  not  in  harmony  with  the  constitution 
of  congregations  proposed  and  recommended  by  your 
Synod." 

2.  That  our  missionaries  and  mission  congregations 
"put  themselves  in  no  synodical  relations,  and  conse- 
quently without  any  discipline." 

3.  That,  particularly  in  Minnesota,  if  the  work  cannot 
be  carried  on  in  such  a  manner  that  you  can  work  together 
with  us,  you  will  be  compelled  to  start  English  Missions 
by  the  side  of  the  English  brethren. 

These  points  were  quite  fully  discussed  at  the  meeting 
of  our  committee  as  above  said,  and  in  thorough  fraternity 
and  reciprocation  of  your  good  wishes  that  we  may  "keep 
together  to  work  for  a  great  united  and  strong  church 
in  the  Northwest."  In  this  spirit  it  was  also  resolved  that 
the  chariman  of  the  committee  be  authorized  to  prepare 
and  forward  to  the  President  of  the  Augustana  Synod 
through  the  President  of  the  General  Council,  an  answer 
to  the  communication  sent  by  him,  embodying  the  senti- 
ments and  conclusions  of  the  committee,  in  substance  as 
follows : 

Concerning  the  First  Point. — Our  committee  on  English 
Home  Missions  is  a  creation  of  the  General  Council, 
under  whose  authority  and  instruction  alone  it  acts. 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  1 17 

The  General  Council  has  provided  and  recommends  a  con- 
stitution for  congregations;  and  only  this  constitution 
does  the  committee  consider  itself  at  liberty  to  recommend 
to  its  mission  congregations  for  adoption. 

Concerning  the  Second  Point. — The  missionaries  sent 
out  and  sustained  by  this  committee  are  in  regular  con- 
nection with  synods  belonging  to  the  General  Council,  to 
which  they  are  amenable,  and  they  and  their  congregations 
are  also  subject  to  the  supervision  of  the  Home  Mission 
Committee.  Some  of  the  congregations  as  such  are  not 
yet  connected  formally  with  any  Synod,  for  the  reason 
that  they  are  composed  of  elements  gathered  from  differ- 
ent nationalities,  American  and  foreign,  and  that  it  would 
be  unwise  and  disabling  to  attempt  to  force  any  of  these 
congregations  to  connect  with  a  synod  representing  any 
one  particular  foreign  nationality  and  language,  no 
provision  having  yet  been  made  for  their  union  in  one 
synod.  On  this  point,  however,  the  committee  adheres 
to  the  action  of  the  General  Council  at  Lancaster,  Ohio, 
in  1882,  namely:  "Where  a  mission  congregation  is  organ- 
ized out  of  materials  from  existing  churches  in  connec- 
tion with  the  General  Council,  said  mission  congregation, 
together  with  its  pastor,  shall  belong  to  the  synod  to  which 
the  mother  church  belongs";  and  the  committee  will 
always  cheerfully  aid  in  carrying  out  the  intention  and 
purpose  of  the  General  Council  as  thus  expressed. 

Concerning  the  Third  Point. — So  far  as  deeming  it  an 
interference,  or  cause  of  dissatisfaction,  for  the  Swedish 
Augustana  Synod  to  organize  English  congregations  of  its 
own  wherever  there  is  occasion  for  it,  whether  in  Minne- 
sota or  elsewhere,  this  committee  will  greatly  rejoice  in 
having  the  Augustana  Synod  do  so,  as  it  will  be  so  much 
gain  to  the  general  work.    As  you  are  particular  to  say 


Ii8     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

that,  as  far  as  you  can  understand  the  sentiments  of  the 
Augustana  Synod,  "no  one  would  do  the  least  to  put  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  English  speaking  brethren," 
so  we  would  say  on  our  part,  that  we  would  not  only  not 
seek  to  hinder  your  synod  from  proceeding  as  you  sug- 
gest, but  would  regard  it  as  a  worthy  and  commendable 
move  to  provide  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  rapidly 
anglicizing  portions  of  our  Swedish  sister  congregations, 
while  our  attention  is  given  to  the  general  work.  This, 
then,  is  our  reply  to  the  presentations  of  the  Augustana 
Synod  in  the  Resolution  forwarded  and  explained  in  your 
letter  of  October  29,  1890.  It  is  given  with  full  appre- 
ciation of  the  matters  involved,  in  a  fraternal  and  Christian 
spirit,  and  with  high  regard  for  yourself  personally  and  for 
the  Augustana  Synod,  with  which  we  have  been  so  long 
a  time  in  harmonious  association  which  we  should  much 
regret  to  see  in  any  manner  broken  or  disturbed. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir, 
Your  obedient  servant  and  brother  in  Christ, 

Joseph  A.  Seiss, 
Chairman  of  General  Council's  Committee 
on  English  Home  Missions. 

In  the  report  of  the  Home  Mission  Committee  to  the 
General  Council,  the  following  is  added: 

"Since  then  those  missionaries  in  the  Northwest  have 
asked  the  advice  of  the  Committee  as  to  the  formation  of 
an  English  Synod,  to  which  the  reply  was  made  that  we 
believed  that  the  necessities  of  English  Home  Mission 
work  imperatively  demanded  the  ultimate  formation  of  an 
English  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  but  left  the  determina- 
tion of  the  time  to  the  judgment  of  the  men  occupying 
the  field." 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  119 

This  was  the  first  official  intimation  on  the  part  of  the 
Committee  on  English  Home  Missions  pointing  to  the 
subsequent  organization  of  an  entirely  English  Synod 
on  this  territory.  But  there  were  other  influences  at 
work,  and  conditions  developing  which  soon  began  to 
point  in  the  same  direction,  and  which  in  reality  led  to  the 
action  taken  by  the  Augustana  Synod  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y., 
to  which  the  foregoing  correspondence  refers. 

As  other  English  congregations  were  being  organized, 
the  pastors  of  the  missions  in  the  Twin  Cities,  as  well  as 
the  English  professors  at  Gustavus  Adolphus  College 
were  anxious  to  have  all  the  congregations  and  ministers 
more  closely  united.  Knowing  that  at  least  two  of  the 
congregations  that  had  more  recently  been  organized  de- 
clined to  unite  with  the  Augustana  Synod  because  of 
being  unfamiliar  with  the  language,  some  of  the  English 
brethren  concluded  that,  if  they  would  be  permitted  to 
organize  a  distinctively  English  Conference,  all  could  be 
drawn  into  it,  and  the  English  work  would  be  united  and 
remain  organically  in  connection  with  the  Augustana 
Synod.  This  matter  was  formally  brought  before  the 
Minnesota  Conference  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Duluth, 
February  7  to  13,  1888.  The  question  was  fully  dis- 
cussed and  then  referred  to  a  committee  of  the  most 
progressive  men  in  the  Conference,  to  formulate  a  basis 
for  action  to  be  taken  at  the  fall  meeting  of  the  Confer- 
ence in  East  Union,  Minn.  It  happened  that  at  that 
meeting  there  were  a  few  lacking  to  make  a  quorum; 
nevertheless,  the  committee  reported  resolutions  looking 
to  the  organization  of  a  distinctively  English  Conference, 
a  matter  which  the  Synod  would  no  doubt  have  heartily 
approved.  But  during  the  discussion  it  became  evident 
that  there  was  considerable  sentiment  against  it.     There 


120     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

were  several  reactionaries  who  were  inclined  to  frown  on 
the  English  work,  and  more  particularly  because  it  was 
conducted  by  pastors  from  the  East,  and  not  by  born 
Swedes.  Some  of  the  remarks  made  were  not  any  too 
complimentary  with  respect  to  those  of  German  descent 
working  on  Swedish  territory.  While  the  ultra-Swedish 
element  was  largely  in  the  minority,  the  position  taken  by 
them  put  a  damper  upon  the  proposition,  and  the  idea  of 
an  English  Conference  was  laid  aside.  That  action 
was  the  first  step  which  led  up  to  the  organization  of  an 
English  Synod.  It  was  clear  that  the  plan  for  uniting  all 
the  English  pastors  and  congregations  in  the  body  to 
which  the  older  ones  belonged  could  not  be  accomplished 
with  the  existing  sentiment,  and  the  Twin  City  pastors 
no  longer  agitated  an  English  Conference. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Minnesota  Conference  in 
1890  was  held  at  Red  Wing,  February  nth  to  17th. 
The  Rev.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt,  of  Memorial  Church,  St.  Paul, 
was  appointed  to  deliver  an  address  on  English  Home 
Missions.  He  came  to  Pastor  Trabert  in  Minneapolis 
and  asked  about  the  advisability  of  strongly  advocating 
an  English  Conference.  He  was  told  that  the  time  for 
that,  as  matters  now  stood,  had  passed;  that  to  advocate 
it  would  be  of  little  value  at  present,  as  under  existing 
circumstances  it  was  impossible  to  unite  the  congregations, 
which  were  not  already  in  the  Augustana  Synod  with  it. 
He  was  advised  to  openly  show  what  the  feeling  was  by 
advocating  the  formation  of  an  entirely  English  Synod. 
In  a  spirited  address,  before  a  crowded  church,  he  took  this 
position,  which  caused  a  considerable  stir;  but  it  only 
pointed  toward  the  inevitable,  when  the  conditions  which 
existed  in  the  Northwest  are  considered.  That  Spring  the 
Memorial  congregation  in  St-  Paul  gave  notice  of  its  desire 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  121 

to  withdraw  from  the  Augustana  Synod,  which  had  to  lay 
over  for  one  year,  when  it  was  granted. 

In  the  Fall  of  1890  the  Mission  Superintendent,  Rev.  W. 
A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  wrote  to  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  of 
Minneapolis,  that  on  his  way  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  he  would 
stop  off  in  the  Twin  Cities  and  hold  a  conference  with  the 
missionaries  and  discuss  the  whole  mission  situation. 
The  invitation  was  promptly  given  to  hold  the  confer- 
ence in  St.  John's,  Minneapolis.  That  the  question  of  an 
English  Synod  would  be  broached  was  inevitable,  but 
when  the  Conference  met,  the  pastor,  who  was  a  loyal 
member  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  distinctly  stated  that 
under  no  circumstances  can  the  question  of  a  new  Synod 
be  brought  into  the  Conference  during  any  of  the  sessions, 
it  must  confine  itself  strictly  to  the  object  for  which  it  was 
called.  During  the  two  days'  session  the  subject  of  an 
English  Synod  was  not  mentioned,  but  after  its  adjourn- 
ment, it  was  spoken  of  informally  by  the  missionaries  as 
individuals.  The  following  is  a  Minute  of  the  Missionary 
Conference:  "The  Missionary  Superintendent  of  the 
English  Home  Missions  of  the  General  Council,  Rev.  Wm. 
A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  being  on  his  way  to  inspect  the  work  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  invited  the  missionaries  to  meet  him  for 
conference  at  St.  John's,  Minneapolis,  the  oldest  of  the 
missions,  Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  Pastor. 

"Wednesday  and  Thursday,  September  17th  and  18th, 
were  spent  in  discussing  papers  covering  various  phases 
of  the  work.  The  participants  were  Revs.  G.  H.  Trabert, 
A.  J.  D.  Haupt,  G.  H.  Gerberding,  W.  L.  Smith,  C.  B. 
Lindtwed,  W.  K.  Frick,  H.  L.  McMurray,  J.  Sander  and 
student  C.  Gebert. 

'It  was  stated  that  Memorial,  St.  Paul,  which  became 
self-sustaining  May  15,  1890,  had  resolved  to  withdraw 


122     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

from  the  Swedish  Augustana  Synod  and  to  unite  with  an 
English-speaking  Synod.  The  Home  Mission  Committee 
had,  however,  counseled  delay.  A  number  of  the  mis- 
sionaries present  then  united  privately  in  requesting 
the  advice  of  the  committee  as  to  their  future  Synodical 
relations." 

During  the  Winter  the  pastors  at  Fargo,  St.  Paul  and 
Milwaukee  were  in  correspondence  with  members  of  the 
Home  Mission  Committee,  and  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
missionary  in  Minneapolis  that  it  was  proposed  to  call  a 
preliminary  meeting  looking  toward  the  organization  of  an 
English  Synod,  the  latter  part  of  May  or  early  in  June, 
before  the  meeting  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  June  16th  to 
23d,  at  Chisago  Lake.  The  missionary  at  Minneapolis, 
knowing  the  feeling  of  many  members  of  the  Augustana 
Synod  with  respect  to  the  English  work,  which  was  not 
at  all  satisfactory,  when  considered  from  their  standpoint, 
and  knowing  also  that  the  whole  subject  would  be  fully 
discussed  at  the  next  convention;  and,  moreover,  that  any 
precipitate  action  on  the  part  of  the  pastors  and  congre- 
gations on  its  exclusive  territory  and  not  in  connection 
with  it,  would  be  misunderstood  and  might  lead  to  seri- 
ous results,  resolved,  if  possible,  to  prevent  any  such  early 
preliminary  meeting  being  held.  He  at  once  corresponded 
with  a  prominent  member  of  the  Home  Mission  Committee 
and  laid  before  him  the  whole  situation,  and  what  harm 
might  accrue  from  precipitate  action,  and  that  the  breth- 
ren can  well  afford  to  wait  until  matters  have  adjusted 
themselves  somewhat  before  springing  the  proposed  organ- 
ization. The  reasonableness  of  the  request  was  admitted, 
and  the  preliminary  meeting  was  not  called  until  in  July. 

The  Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  of  Minneapolis,  a  loyal  member 
of  the  Augustana  Synod,  resolved  to  help  in  clearing  the 


THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  123 

ecclesiastical  atmosphere  and  to  aid  in  the  peaceful  or- 
ganization of  an  English  Synod.  Shortly  before  the 
meeting  of  the  Synod  at  Chisago  Lake,  he  received  a  com- 
munication from  Grace  Church,  Rock  Island,  requesting 
him  to  join  in  a  petition  for  an  English  Conference. 
Knowing  the  sentiment  of  the  English  congregations  in 
the  Northwest,  and  that  all  except  St.  John's,  Minneapolis, 
and  St.  Paul's,  Red  Wing,  were  in  favor  of  a  separate  Eng- 
lish Synod,  he  did  not  see  his  way  clear  to  join  in  the 
petition,  fearing  that  it  would  only  complicate  matters. 

When  the  English  situation  came  before  the  Synod,  it 
called  forth  a  spirited  discussion.  It  was  of  the  greatest 
importance  that  the  whole  matter  should  be  cleared  up, 
so  that  the  English  question  would  cease  to  be  an  apple 
of  discord  in  the  body,  which  threatened  to  cause  a  rupture 
in  its  relations  to  the  General  Council.  In  order  to  meet 
the  issue  fairly  and  squarely,  the  pastor  of  St.  John's 
Church,  Minneapolis,  offered  a  resolution,  the  exact 
wording  of  which  cannot  be  given,  as  it  was  not  printed 
in  the  Minutes,  but  was  in  the  protocol,  the  manuscript 
of  which  was  unfortunately  lost  before  it  could  be  re- 
corded. (This  information  was  received  from  Prof.  Foss, 
at  Rock  Island,  Archivist  for  the  Augustana  Synod.) 

The  import  of  the  resolution  was  as  follows:  "Inas- 
much as  there  are  a  number  of  English  congregations  on 
this  territory  whose  membership  is  composed  almost  ex- 
clusively of  persons  not  of  Swedish  origin,  and  are  not 
able  to  understand  the  Swedish  language,  and  would 
not  feel  at  home  in  the  Augustana  Synod,  therefore: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Augustana  Synod  permit  such 
English  congregations  in  its  connection,  that  desire  to  do 
so,  to  withdraw,  and  to  give  them  an  honorable  dismissal 
so  as  to  enable  them  to  unite  with  other  English  congre- 


124     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

gations  on  this  territory  in  the  organization  of  a  distinct- 
ively English  Synod." 

The  resolution  was  well  received  by  many  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  Synod.  Dr.  O.  Olson,  President  of  Augustana 
College  and  Theological  Seminary,  spoke  strongly  in 
favor  of  it  as  perfectly  reasonable  and  just.  After  several 
hours  debate,  the  hour  of  adjournment  arrived  before  a 
vote  could  be  taken.  It  was  the  evening  before  the  final 
adjournment  of  the  convention  of  Synod.  On  account 
of  the  railroad  connections  in  St.  Paul,  many  of  the  dele- 
gates, clerical  and  lay,  were  obliged  to  leave  that  evening, 
in  order  to  get  home  before  the  following  Sunday,  among 
whom  were  the  warmest  advocates  of  the  resolution. 
This  left  the  Synod  practically  without  a  quorum  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  although  there  was  no  call  of  the  house,  so 
that  all  its  transactions  were  legal.  The  pending  resolu- 
tion was  the  first  order,  but  the  matter  was  deemed  of  such 
great  importance  that  it  should  not  be  decided  hastily, 
and  by  a  possible  minority  of  the  body.  It  was,  therefore, 
moved  that  the  whole  English  question  should  again  be 
given  into  the  hands  of  a  committee  to  report  the  follow- 
ing year  at  the  meeting  to  be  held  at  Lindsborg,  Kansas. 

It  was  inevitable,  for  a  year  at  least,  that  an  English 
Synod  would  be  organized.  It  was  the  desire  of  the 
senior  English  pastor  that  it  should  be  called  into  being 
with  the  consent  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  but  when  his 
efforts  failed,  he  could  no  longer  prevent  its  speedy 
organization.  It  was,  moreover,  also  a  fact  that  he  and 
his  congregation  could  not  join  the  new  body,  since  there 
was  no  reason  for  a  separation  from  the  Swedish  brethren. 
The  crisis  leading  up  to  the  organization  of  the  English 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  the  Northwest  came  by 
force  of  circumstances,  and  it  could  not  be  avoided. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   SYNOD 

Soon  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Augustana  Synod  at 
Chisago  Lake,  a  call  was  issued  to  the  English  pastors 
and  congregations  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  North 
Dakota,  to  meet  in  Memorial  Church,  St.  Paul,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  an  English  Synod.  This  call  had 
been  issued  on  May  5,  1891,  but  was  held  in  abeyance 
pending  the  meeting  of  the  Augustana  Synod  in  June. 
In  order  that  everything  might  be  done  in  an  orderly 
manner  the  call  came  from  a  congregation  not  in  connec- 
tion with  any  Synod.  The  following  is  a  minute  of  the 
preliminary  meeting: 

"Memorial  Church,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Wednesday, 
July  8,  1891. 

"At  8  p.  m.  Revs.  G.  H.  Trabert,  G.  H.  Gerberding, 
W.  K.  Frick,  W.  L.  Smith,  C.  B.  Lindtwed,  and  A.  J.  D. 
Haupt,  and  Messrs.  H.  W.  Knauff,  and  J.  H.  Hensel, 
lay  delegate,  and  alternate  of  Memorial  Church,  with  the 
Missionary  Superintendent,  W.  A.  Passavant,  Jr.,  met  in 
the  chapel  of  Memorial  Church  to  form  a  preliminary 
organization  of  an  English  Lutheran  Synod. 

"After  a  short  opening  service,  Rev.  W.  K.  Frick,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  called  the 
convention  to  order,  and  read  the  call  for  the  convention 
issued  May  5,  1891: 

"Whereas,  There  are  quite  a  number  of  English  Lutheran 
congregations  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  North  Dakota 

125 


126     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

of  different  Synodical  connections  or  wholly  independent, 
and  whereas,  it  is  desirable  that  these  congregations  should 
be  brought  into  closer  working  relations  to  one  another; 
therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  the  Council  of  the  Church  of  the 
Redeemer,  of  Milwaukee,  hereby  calls  on  the  English 
Lutheran  Churches  of  the  General  Council  in  the  above- 
named  states,  through  their  pastors  and  church  councils, 
to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  the  holding  of  a  convention 
for  the  organization  of  an  English  Synod  in  connection 
with  the  General  Council,  and  requests  the  Revs.  A  J.  D. 
Haupt  of  St.  Paul,  G.  H.  Gerberding  of  Fargo,  and  W.  K. 
Frick  of  Milwaukee,  to  act  as  a  committee  to  carry  out 
the  above  resolution." 

Of  the  members  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Haupt  had  re- 
ceived a  regular  dismissal  from  the  president  of  the  Augus- 
tana  Synod,  and  his  congregation  had  received  permission 
to  withdraw.  The  congregations  at  Fargo  and  Mil- 
waukee stood  independent  of  Synodical  connection,  but 
were  amenable  to  the  Board  of  English  Home  Missions. 

In  the  Minutes,  the  name  of  the  missionary  in  Minne- 
apolis, G.  H.  Trabert,  stands  at  the  head  of  the  list  of 
those  present.  He  was  there  with  the  full  approval  of  the 
Rev.  P.  J.  Sward,  president  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  who 
said  to  him:  "If  we  can't  prevent  a  certain  action,  we 
should  help  to  do  what  we  can  to  steer  it  in  the  right  direc- 
tion." At  that  preliminary  meeting  the  "Principles  of 
Faith  and  Church  Polity"  of  the  General  Council  were 
adopted  and  on  motion  of  Rev.  G.  H.  Trabert,  a  Commit- 
tee on  Constitution  was  appointed.  The  temporary 
officers  were,  president,  Rev.  G.  H.  Gerberding,  and 
secretary,  Rev.  A.  J.  D.  Haupt. 

The  first  regular  meeting  of  the  Synod  was  held  in 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  SYNOD  127 

Memorial  Church,  St.  Paul,  September  23  to  25,  1891. 
Pastor  Trabert  of  Minneapolis,  was  again  present  and 
participated  in  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  after 
which  he  made  the  following  declaration:  "Brethren,  I 
have  gone  with  you  as  far  as  I  can.  I  am  a  member  of 
the  Augustana  Synod,  as  is  my  congregation,  and  have  no 
reason  for  severing  my  connection  with  the  same.  I  wish 
you  God  speed  in  your  work."  (The  following  year  he 
followed  a  call  to  Pennsylvania,  and  five  years  later  was 
called  to  a  congregation  in  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest 
which  he  had  organized  and  has  since  been  a  member  of 
that  body.) 

While  the  new  Synod,  the  English  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Synod  of  the  Northwest,  started  out  under  good  auspices, 
it  had  no  very  smooth  sailing  during  the  first  two  years 
of  its  history.  At  its  first  convention  it  resolved  to  apply 
for  membership  in  the  General  Council  at  the  Conven- 
tion to  be  held  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  October.  Being 
called  into  being  so  soon  after  the  meeting  of  the  Augus- 
tana Synod  at  Chisago  Lake,  some  of  the  Swedish  brethren 
were  naturally  displeased,  as  it  looked  to  them  as  if  the 
action  was  in  defiance  of  their  action  referring  the  whole 
English  question  to  a  committee  to  report  the  next  year. 
They  thought  that  the  parties  interested  should  have 
waited  another  year  before  any  definite  action  was  taken. 
They,  of  course,  did  not  understand  the  whole  situation, 
and  looked  at  it  from  their  own  standpoint.  Some,  indeed, 
knew  that  the  organization  of  a  Synod  was  inevitable 
and  raised  no  objections,  because  they  were  convinced 
that  it  was  futile  to  try  and  unite  all  the  English  con- 
gregations with  the  Augustana  Synod,  as  long  as  a  majority 
of  them  were  not  composed  of  original  Augustana  Synod 
material. 


128     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

When  the  General  Council  met  at  Buffalo,  the  applica- 
tion of  the  English  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  the 
Northwest  came  before  it  in  the  regular  order.  It  was 
referred  to  a  committee  which,  on  the  following  day, 
reported  that  it  had  complied  with  all  the  requirements  of 
the  General  Council,  "but  final  action  on  the  report  was 
postponed  until  the  president  of  the  Augustana  Synod 
shall  have  had  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  in  regard  to  it." 
At  a  subsequent  session  the  president  of  the  Augustana 
Synod  addressed  the  Counc3  In  regard  to  the  application, 
upon  which  a  motion  was  made  to  postpone  action  until 
the  next  convention.  Pending  this  motion  the  General 
Council  adjourned.  The  following  morning,  the  Rev.  G. 
H.  Gerberding,  president  of  the  English  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  requested  the  privilege 
of  a  few  remarks,  and  to  withdraw  the  application  of  the 
Synod  for  reception  at  that  convention,  and  that  it  lie 
over  to  the  next  meeting  of  the  General  Council.  This 
caused  action  to  be  deferred  for  two  years,  when  the  Gen- 
eral Council  met  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  October  5  to  10, 
1893.  In  the  meantime,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Augustana 
Synod  in  Lindsborg,  Kan.,  May  3  to  June  7,  1892,  the 
committee  on  the  English  Home  Mission  question  re- 
ported as  follows: 

"Your  committee  appointed  at  the  meeting  ,of  the 
Synod  at  Chisago  Lake,  Minnesota,  1891,  to  consider  the 
English  Mission  Work  of  the  General  Council  within  the 
several  conferences  of  the  Synod,  as  well  as  the  English 
Mission  work  done  by  these  conferences,  and  also  to  sug- 
gest a  plan  of  operation  of  the  Synod  in  this  work  for  the 
future,  respectfully  report  that  your  committee  has  had 
two  meetings,  and  as  a  result  of  the  deliberations  it  is 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  SYNOD  129 

recommended  that  the  Synod  adopt  the  following  reso- 
lutions, viz. : 

"Whereas,  Within  the  territory  of  the  Augustana  Synod 
where  exists  no  Synod  in  connection  with  the  General 
Council,  notably  in  Minnesota,  the  Council's  English 
Home  Mission  Committee,  has,  in  violation  of  the  rules 
and  resolutions  adopted  at  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Council  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  1882,  organized  English 
Missions,  which  do  not  stand  under  the  control  of  the 
Augustana  Synod  or  its  conferences,  and  has  countenanced 
the  organization  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  an  inde- 
pendent Synod,  without  even  asking  the  consent  of  the 
Augustana  Synod, 

"Therefore,  Resolved,  That  henceforth  this  Synod  will 
conduct  its  Church  work  in  the  English  language  inde- 
pendently of  the  English  Home  Mission  Board  of  the 
General  Council." 

This  action  was  presented  to  the  General  Council  during 
its  convention  at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  in  1893  and,  together 
with  the  application  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest, 
referred  to  a  committee.  The  committee  had  several 
meetings  and  after  most  careful  weighing  of  the  whole 
matter,  unanimously  submitted  the  following:  "Having 
taken  into  consideration  all  that  has  been  said  and  put 
into  our  hands  upon  the  matters  committed  to  us  upon 
the  entire  subject  of  the  General  Council's  Home  Mission 
work,  your  committee  is  convinced  that  the  misunder- 
standings which  have  arisen,  and  any  irregularities  which 
may  have  occurred,  have  not  resulted  from  any  disposi- 
tion to  disregard  the  rights,  or  ignore  the  courtesies  due  to 
others,  but  are  the  result  of  differences  of  interpretation 
of  past  legislation  of  the  General  Council,  and  especially 
that  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  1882,  and  other  causes  not 


130     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

necessary  to  state.  In  order  that  such  misunderstandings 
may  be  avoided  hereafter,  your  committee  recommends 
the  following  as  the  principles  which  shall  govern  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  entire  Home  Mission  Work  of  the 
General  Council: 

"  i .  That  as  far  as  possible,  the  District  Synods  shall  have 
charge  and  attend  to  the  work  of  Home  Missions  within 
their  Synods  or  among  their  own  people,  whether  in  the 
English,  or  any  other  language. 

"2.  That  where  there  is  inability  or  neglect  to  do  this 
work,  the  Boards  of  Home  Missions  shall  have  the  liberty 
to  do  it,  upon  the  invitation,  or  with  the  consent,  of  Synods 
as  heretofore  provided. 

"3.  When  missions  are  projected  within  the  bounds  of 
Synods,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  established  congregations,  in 
connection  with  the  General  Council,  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  Home  Mission  Board  and  their  official  representa- 
tives to  confer  with  the  pastors  of  each  congregation  and 
the  authorities  of  each  Synod  within  whose  bounds  and 
among  whose  people  they  propose  to  establish  missions, 
and  also  the  duty  of  the  pastors  and  said  authorities,  to 
give  their  approval  and  encouragement  to  such  under- 
takings, and  so  avoid  conflict  and  render  success  not  only 
possible,  but,  with  God's  blessing  assured,  and  so  save 
our  Church  many  who  would  otherwise  be  lost  to  us. 

"4.  Missions  established  by  the  Mission  Boards  out  of  the 
material  belonging  to  already  existing  congregations  be- 
longing to  Synods  in  connection  with  the  General  Council, 
shall  be  connected  to  the  Synod  to  which  the  congregation 
belongs,  unless  consent  is  given  by  the  constitutional 
authorities  concerned  to  join  another  Synod  belonging  to 
the  General  Council  and  occupying  the  same  territory. 

"5.  The  attention  of  the  Synods  of  the  General  Council 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  SYNOD  131 

is  hereby  directed  to  Article  III,  Section  2,  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  General  Council,  to  wit:  'The  discipline  of 
ministers  and  members  administered  in  one  Synod  shall 
not  be  set  aside  by  another.' 

"6.  Your  committee,  satisfied  that  in  the  organization 
of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  nothing  irregular  or  im- 
proper was  intended,  recommends  that  said  Synod  be 
admitted  to  membership  in  the  General  Council." 
Respectfully  submitted. 

Geo.  C.  F.  Haas,  J.  A.  Kunkleman, 

Theo.  L.  Seip,  G.  H.  Trabert, 

G.  A.  Brandell,1  H.  Peters, 

C.  J.  Petri,1  John  H.  Feilbach, 

M.  L.  Deck,  F.  O.  Thulin.1 

S.  M.  Hill,1 
After  the  adoption  of  this  report  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Augustana  Synod  delegation  moved  that  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  the  Northwest  be  now 
admitted  as  a  member  of  the  General  Council,  which  was 
unanimously  adopted.  Dr.  Passavant  lived  to  see  his 
dream  of  an  English  Synod  in  the  Northwest  fulfilled.  He 
felt  convinced  that  it  would  stimulate  other  portions  of 
the  Church,  Swedes,  Norwegians  and  Germans,  to  greater 
activity  in  doing  English  work  so  as  to  save  their  angli- 
cizing youth,  by  gathering  them  into  distinctively  English 
congregations  in  connection  with  their  own  Synodical 
bodies,  leaving  it  to  the  newly  organized  Synod  to  work 
among  the  unchurched  masses  of  all  nationalities  and  to 
try  and  save  those  that  cannot  be  reached  by  any  of  those 
Synods. 

1  Member  of  the  Augustana  Synod. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


WESTWARD   AND   NORTHWARD 


The  English  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  the  North- 
west was  organized  with  7  pastors  and  6  congregations. 
It  numbered  343  communicants,  an  average  of  57  to  each 
congregation.  Of  the  congregations,  4  were  in  Minnesota, 
1  in  Wisconsin  and  1  in  North  Dakota.  Three  years  after 
its  organization  it  embraced  a  congregation  each  in  Utah, 
Washington  and  Oregon.  It  was  not  until  1895  that  the 
first  English  congregations  organized  in  the  Northwest 
St.  John's,  Minneapolis,  and  St.  Paul's,  Red  Wing,  which 
belonged  to  the  Augustana  Synod,  became  members  of  the 
body.  It  now  comprised  ten  congregations  with  944  com- 
municants. All  the  congregations,  with  one  exception, 
which  were  organized  under  the  direction  of  the  General 
Council  Home  Mission  Committee,  were  now  gathered 
into  one  Synodical  body.  Twelve  years  had  elapsed 
since  English  Lutheranism  was  first  planted  on  this  vast 
territory,  but,  while  the  growth  was  slow,  it  had  taken 
root  at  points  far  remote  from  where  the  seed  was  first 
planted. 

After  the  visit  of  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Gerberding  to  the 
Pacific  Coast,  early  in  1888,  where  he  pre-empted  the 
Pacific  Northwest  for  the  General  Council,  strenuous 
efforts  were  made  to  organize  congregations  in  Portland, 
Tacoma,  Seattle  and  Salt  Lake  City.  The  first  place  to  be 
regularly  occupied  was  Seattle,  where  Rev.  Ed.  F.  Keever 

132 


Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Livingston 


WESTWARD  AND  NORTHWARD       133 

arrived  early  in  August,  1889,  and  effected  a  temporary- 
organization  October  31st,  Reformation  Day,  with 
twenty-three  members.  The  Rev.  M.  L.  Zweizig  was 
called  to  Portland,  Ore.,  and  in  February,  1890,  organized 
St.  James  congregation  with  nineteen  charter  members. 
It  was  not  until  February,  1891,  that  Tacoma  was  occu- 
pied, when  Rev.  E.  G.  Lund  took  charge  of  the  field, 
and  on  June  7  th  organized  a  congregation  with  twenty-four 
members. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  had  been  explored  by  Rev.  G.  H. 
Gerberding  in  March,  1889,  and  in  April  the  Rev.  W.  R. 
Shanor  took  charge  of  the  work.  After  a  few  months 
he  was  taken  ill,  and  believing  that  the  illness  might  prove 
fatal  he  started  for  his  home  in  Pennsylvania.  He  died  on 
the  way  at  North  Platte,  Neb.,  November  2,  1889.  In 
September,  1890,  the  Rev.  P.  Doerr  arrived  and  in  Novem- 
ber a  preliminary  organization  was  effected,  but  already 
in  May,  1891,  the  missionary  resigned  and  returned  to 
the  East.  The  Rev.  James  F.  Beates,  a  tried  missionary, 
was  then  called  from  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  reached  Salt  Lake 
City  early  in  December.  He  found  the  work  completely 
demoralized  and  had  to  begin  from  the  bottom.  On  the 
9th  of  March,  1892,  he  succeeded  in  effecting  a  permanent 
organization  with  eighteen  charter  members.  The  work 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  developed  slowly,  but  made  steady 
progress,  in  spite  of  frequent  changes.  In  1897  Zion's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  congregation  was  organized  at  The 
Dalles,  in  Oregon.  All  those  congregations,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  St.  James,  Portland,  united  with  the  Synod  of 
the  Northwest.  But  that  union  could  of  necessity  be  only 
of  a  temporary  character,  as  it  was  practically  impossible 
for  either  pastors  or  lay  delegates  to  attend  the  meetings, 
owing  to  the  distance  and  the  expense.     As  a  rule,  they 


134     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

sent  one  representative,  part  of  whose  travelling  ex- 
penses was  assumed  by  the  Synod. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  in  St. 
Paul  in  1 901,  the  president,  the  Rev.  W.  K.  Frick,  recom- 
mended the  organization  of  a  Western  Conference,  con- 
sisting of  the  pastors  and  parishes  in  that  part  of  the 
Synod's  territory  lying  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  This 
was  approved  by  the  Synod,  and  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Leas  of 
Portland,  Ore.,  was  authorized  to  call  the  preliminary 
meeting  for  the  organization.  The  action  was  officially 
communicated  to  Pastor  Leas  by  the  secretary.  A  com- 
munication in  reply  stated,  that  the  Board  of  English 
Home  Missions  had  advised  and  urged  upon  the  Pacific 
Coast  brethren  the  organization  of  a  Synod,  deeming  that 
the  best  plan  for  the  developing  of  the  work  on  the  Coast. 
It  was  also  stated  that  there  were  other  congregations  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  which  were  willing  to  join  our  English 
congregations  in  the  organization  of  a  Synod.  Requests 
were  made  by  the  Revs.  J.  A.  Leas,  H.  A.  W.  Yung, 
W.  R.  Holl,  Herbert  Martens  and  William  Brenner,  and 
the  congregations  at  Seattle  and  Tacoma,  Washington;  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  and  The  Dalles,  Ore., for  conditional 
dismissal,  in  order  to  join  in  organizing  a  new  Synod. 
These  dismissals  were  granted  and  the  Pacific  Synod  was 
called  into  being.  The  Synod  was  organized  on  the 
25  th  of  September,  1901,  with  ten  pastors  and  parishes, 
and  764  communicant  members. 

There  were  now  two  English  Synods  on  the  territory 
where  eighteen  years  before  there  was  a  single  English 
missionary.  While  the  dismissal  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
pastors  and  congregations  reduced  the  number  of  parishes 
in  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  from  twenty-one  to  seven- 
teen, and  diminished  the  number  of  communicants  by  175; 


WESTWARD  AND  NORTHWARD  135 

in  one  year  the  loss  was  more  than  made  up,  inasmuch  as 
the  number  of  parishes  was  again  twenty-one  and  the 
number  of  communicants  233  more  than  the  previous 
year.  "There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth" 
(Prov.  11  :  24).  The  organization  of  the  Pacific  Synod  was 
again  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  English  mission 
work  in  the  Northwest. 

Up  to  1905  there  was  no  English  Lutheran  Church  in 
Western  Canada.  The  city  of  Winnipeg  was  developing 
rapidly  as  a  great  commercial  centre.  There  had  been 
for  years  a  great  influx  of  Lutherans  from  Iceland  and 
Germany,  and  other  Lutheran  countries,  and  congre- 
gations of  different  nationalities  had  been  gathered  and 
were  prospering.  But  no  effort  had  been  made  to  see 
whether  there  were  not  other  Lutherans  there  who  pre- 
ferred the  English  language  and  who  could  only  be  saved 
to  the  Church  through  the  official  language  of  the  King's 
Dominion.  For  a  number  of  years  the  senior  English 
pastor  in  Minneapolis  had  his  eye  on  Winnipeg,  and  only 
hoped  that  something  might  soon  be  done  to  plant  an 
English  mission  in  that  important  city.  No  sooner  was 
the  Rev.  F.  E.  Jensen  called  by  the  Mission  Board  to  be 
the  Field  Missionary  for  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas,  when 
his  attention  was  called  to  Winnipeg,  and  he  was  urged 
to  pay  the  place  a  visit  and  see  what  could  be  done.  As 
soon  as  he  received  the  permission  from  the  Superintendent 
of  Missions  to  go  and  inspect  the  field,  he  went,  and  at 
once  made  an  effort  to  find  English  Lutherans,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  in  organizing  a  con- 
gregation. 

Like  all  beginnings  in  a  new  territory,  where  the  de- 
scendants of  foreign  speaking  Lutherans  are  the  only 
material  at  hand  with  which  to  start  the  work,  there  are 


136     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

numerous  difficulties  to  contend  with.  A  place  in  which 
to  hold  worship  must  be  found  and  the  rent  provided  for. 
As  a  rule,  the  people  to  be  gathered  are  poor  as  to  this 
world's  goods,  nor  are  they  familiar  with  the  order  of 
service  as  used  in  the  English  congregations.  Prejudice 
against  the  Lutheran  Church — which  by  many  is  looked 
upon  as  a  foreign  church — must  be  overcome,  and  numer- 
ous discouragments  faced,  which  require  strong  faith  and 
heroic  courage  on  the  part  of  the  missionary.  To  this 
must  also  be  added  jealousy  on  the  part  of  other  Lutheran 
pastors,  who  fear  that  an  English  Lutheran  congregation 
will  harm  them  by  drawing  away  their  young  people. 
Besides  this,  a  project  looked  at  from  a  distance  often 
has  a  glamour  about  it  that  appeals  to  a  novice,  but  who 
frequently  lacks  the  moral  strength  to  endure  when  he 
faces  the  reality. 

That  Winnipeg  was  no  exception  to  the  rule  in  a  city 
where  the  Lutheran  Church  was  not  known  in  the  English 
language,  can  well  be  imagined.  The  first  missionary 
that  was  sent  there  became  discouraged  at  once,  and  after 
a  short  stay  deliberately  left  the  field.  Another  was 
called  and  held  out  for  a  while,  but  when  a  call  came 
from  the  East,  he  accepted  it,  because  he  there  was  among 
his  own  people,  and  did  not  need  to  face  the  hardships  of 
the  work  where  conditions  were  entirely  different.  Now 
the  work  languished  for  some  time  and  it  would  have  been 
little  wonder  if  the  congregation  had  become  completely 
discouraged.  The  unfortunate  location  of  the  church 
property  had  much  to  do  to  discourage  the  several  mis- 
sionaries who  labored  there  for  a  while,  but  a  remnant  of 
the  people  hung  together,  hoping  for  better  times  when 
the  right  man  was  found.  After  darkness  comes  the  dawn. 
At  length  the  proper  man  was  found  for  Winnipeg,  a  tried 


WESTWARD  AND  NORTHWARD  137 

missionary  with  the  proper  grit  and  unwavering  faith  in 
the  success  of  the  Lord's  cause.  The  Rev  P.  E.  Baisler 
had  done  excellent  work  in  building  up  the  congregation 
in  Kenosha,  Wis.  He  was  not  easily  discouraged  by  diffi- 
culties, and  being  an  optimist  with  respect  to  the  Lord's 
work,  had  the  proper  staying  qualities.  Such  a  man  was 
needed  in  Winnipeg,  and  he  was  called  to  go  and  take 
up  the  work  in  that  city.  He  had  in  Mrs.  Baisler  a  noble 
helpmate,  and  they  went  to  the  metropolis  of  central 
Canada  determined  to  build  up  the  English  Lutheran 
congregation  in  firm  reliance  upon  God's  promises. 

The  first  thing  Pastor  Baisler  did  was  to  look  up  a 
suitable  location  for  a  church  where  it  was  central  to  the 
work.  The  people  began  to  muster  up  courage,  and 
despondency  gave  place  to  earnest  hope.  English  Luther- 
anism  is  now  firmly  anchored  in  Winnipeg,  and  it  has 
become  a  centre  from  which  other  English  congregations 
will  be  called  into  existence.  Winnipeg  is  to  central 
Canada  what  the  Twin  Cities,  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul, 
are  to  the  near  Northwest  in  the  United  States. 

In  1905  attention  was  called  to  Livingston,  Mon.,  and 
the  urgent  need  of  an  English  Lutheran  Church  in  that 
city,  which  is  practically  the  gateway  to  Yellowstone 
Park.  The  field  missionary,  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Anda, 
visitedthe  place  and  succeeded  in  organizing  a  congre- 
gation. This  established  a  centre  from  which  English 
Lutheran  mission  work  will  radiate  into  different  parts 
of  that  great  State. 

While  those  strategic  points  have  been  occupied,  it  is 
only  the  beginning.  If  the  great  Lutheran  Church,  the 
church  of  the  true  faith,  realizes  her  responsibility  before 
God,  and  the  General  Council  is  alive  to  its  mission  in  the 
Northwest,  the  work  of  gathering  in  the  anglisizing  masses 


138     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

that  are  in  danger  of  going  astray  will  be  pushed  with 
vigor.  There  are  other  fields  that  may  seem  more  prom- 
ising at  the  beginning,  and  where  the  difficulties  in  the 
gathering  of  congregations  are  not  so  great,  but  when  the 
future  of  the  Church  is  considered,  the  great  task  before 
it  in  the  early  part  of  this  twentieth  century  lies  in  pre- 
venting the  enormous  losses  which  obtained  in  the  East 
a  century  ago  because  there  was  so  little  provision  for  the 
saving  of  the  rising  generation  by  giving  them  the  Gospel 
in  the  English  language.  Shall  history  repeat  itself  in 
the  Northwest?  God  forbid.  Better  that  at  present 
more  promising  fields  in  the  East  be  neglected,  than  that 
the  work  in  the  growing  communities  of  the  West,  where 
Lutherans  are  the  predominating  factor  as  to  population, 
be  neglected  until  the  different  denominations  and  sects 
have  gathered  the  cream  of  our  people  into  their  churches, 
and  we  come  after  to  gather,  if  possible,  a  few  cullings 
into  an  English  mission.  But  the  present  seemingly  more 
promising  fields  in  the  East  need  not  be  neglected,  for 
there  are  neighboring  pastors  who  should  have  enough 
of  the  missionary  spirit  to  be  willing  to  do  a  little  extra 
work  for  a  while;  and  besides,  the  Synods  in  whose 
bounds  they  are,  are  responsible  for  them,  and  should  not 
look  to  the  General  Council's  Home  Mission  Board  to  care 
for  the  work  which  each  individual  Synod  should  do  in 
addition  to  the  greater  work  in  the  newer  territory  which 
so  imperatively  demands  immediate  attention. 


Salem  Lutheran  Church,  Minneapolis 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


THE   CHURCH   WAKING  UP 


It  always  takes  time  to  realize  the  necessity  of  a  transi- 
tion from  a  foreign  language  to  the  language  of  the  country. 
This  is  especially  true  in  matters  of  religion.  In  business 
it  comes  naturally,  and  often  very  speedily;  it  depends 
upon  environment.  The  foreigner  coming  to  America, 
with  the  purpose  of  making  his  home  in  this  country,  soon 
finds  it  necessary  to  adapt  himself  to  American  condi- 
tions, and,  as  a  rule,  readily  learns  the  language  so  as  to 
be  able  to  get  along  in  the  matter  of  every-day  affairs. 
It  is  not  so  with  respect  to  spiritual  things,  for  the  lan- 
guage in  which  the  soul  of  the  child  was  fed  and  nour- 
ished is  the  language  in  which  the  individual  can  best 
commune  with  God.  Where  there  are  large  settlements 
of  only  one  nationality,  whether  German  or  Scandinavian, 
the  mother  tongue  is  often  retained  unto  the  third  genera- 
tion, and  even  then  is  displaced  very  slowly.  It  may  even 
happen  that  for  several  generations  the  one  language  is  as 
familiar  as  the  other,  because  of  its  constant  use  in  the 
family,  and  its  being  taught  in  parochial  schools.  But 
in  every-day  life  it  inevitably  gives  way  to  the  official 
language,  which,  in  America,  is  the  English. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  there 
was  a  constant  stream  of  German  immigrants,  and  many 
entirely  German  settlements  sprung  up.  In  the  larger 
cities,  as  the  descendants  of  the  earlier  settlers  became 

139 


140     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

more  and  more  anglicized,  others  took  their  places  in  the 
different  German  congregations,  so  that  there  are  con- 
gregations over  a  century  and  a  half  old,  still  entirely 
German.  These  new  comers,  together  with  those  of  a 
former  generation  who  remained  true  to  their  German 
traditions,  caused  the  congregations  to  increase  and 
flourish,  so  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  using  the 
English  language  in  the  services,  and  the  very  attempt, 
where  in  the  mind  of  some  it  seemed  necessary,  was 
often  vigorously  resisted.  Besides  this,  many  new  German 
congregations  have  been  gathered,  and  some  are  still 
being  gathered  even  in  the  older  portions  of  the  country. 

Nor  has  the  German  immigration  ceased  today,  al- 
though greatly  diminished.  There  is  still  a  comparatively 
large  immigration  from  the  German  fatherland,  especially 
to  the  Canadian  Northwest,  and  it  will  be  many  years 
before  the  German  will  yield  to  the  English. 

What  was  said  of  the  German  can  be  said  of  the  Scandi- 
navian people  during  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century  and  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth.  It  was  with 
great  self-denial  that  the  first  Swedish  and  Norwegian 
pastors  labored  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  their  countrymen 
in  the  various  settlements,  as  they  sprang  up  throughout 
the  country.  Especially  in  the  Northwest  many  exclu- 
sively Scandinavian  settlements  sprang  up,  besides  the 
large  numbers  who  settled  in  the  cities,  in  some  places 
outnumbering  the  so-called  "American"  (the  English- 
speaking)  population.  As  long  as  they  retained  the 
mother  tongue  there  was  no  need  for  the  English.  But 
times  and  conditions  have  changed  from  what  they  were 
half  a  century  ago,  and  the  transition  is  of  necessity 
much  more  rapid  than  it  was  in  former  years,  which, 
fortunately,  the  Church  is  beginning  to  recognize. 


THE  CHURCH  WAKING  UP  141 

In  our  growing  cities  the  business  is  mostly  in  the 
hands  of  English-speaking  people,  and  the  new  comer  is  in 
constant  touch  with  the  language  of  the  land.  The 
children  go  to  the  public  school  and  their  education  is  in 
English.  They  talk  English  on  the  street  and  at  play  and 
soon,  when  they  enter  the  home,  they  answer  the  mother 
in  English.  In  very  many  cases  the  parents  do  no  longer 
insist  upon  the  children  answering  them  in  the  mother 
tongue,  even  if  they  themselves  can  speak  the  English 
language  indifferently,  but  talk  English  with  the  children. 
It  often  happens  that  children  fourteen  years  old,  of  the 
first  generation,  can  scarcely  speak  their  parents'  language. 
While  this  is  unfortunate,  the  Church  must  meet  the  situ- 
ation as  it  exists,  for  when  once  the  children  have  become 
strangers  to  the  mother  tongue,  it  will  not  hold  them  to 
the  Church  by  perhaps  having  them  confirmed  by  a 
German  or  Scandinavian  pastor.  That  the  Church  was 
very  slow  in  recognizing  the  situation  is  a  fact  that  can- 
not be  denied. 

It  is  true  that  in  many  communities  the  need  of  the 
English  did  not  become  apparent  for  many  years  because 
through  the  judicious  establishment  of  parochial  schools, 
in  which  a  majority  of  the  children  of  the  Germans,  and 
also  in  some  places  of  the  Scandinavians,  were  trained,  a 
love  for  the  mother  tongue  was  inculcated.  But  even  in 
those  very  communities  there  were  often  Lutherans  from 
the  East,  but  too  few  to  organize  an  English  congregation, 
who  could  not  worship  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  because 
all  the  services  were  in  a  foreign  tongue.  An  illustration 
is  the  following  fact:  In  the  early  8o's,  two  prominent 
Lutheran  families  moved  to  Watertown,  South  Dakota. 
There  was  no  Lutheran  Church  there,  except  Norwegian. 
There  were  no  other  English-speaking  Lutherans  in  the 


142     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

then  small  town,  and  those  families  loved  their  Church 
and  were  willing  to  make  any  reasonable  sacrifice  for  the 
sake  of  an  occasional  English  service.  They  went  to  the 
Norwegian  pastor,  and  to  some  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  congregation  and  said  that  they  would  help  to  support 
the  Church  if  there  would  be  an  occasional  service  in 
English,  if  only  once  a  month  at  first.  The  request 
seemed  so  unreasonable,  both  to  pastor  and  people,  that 
it  was  promptly  refused,  as  if  English-speaking  Lutherans 
had  no  right  to  exist.  One  of  the  families  subsequently 
moved  to  Minneapolis  and  became  members  of  one  of  the 
English  congregations,  while  the  other  found  a  spiritual 
home  in  the  Episcopal  church.  But  the  Church  is  waking 
up.  Soon  after  the  successful  establishment  of  English 
congregations  by  the  General  Council  in  the  leading  cities 
of  the  Northwest,  the  English  question  became  the  subject 
of  discussion  in  Synods  and  conferences  of  the  several 
foreign  speaking  bodies.  It  at  once  became  a  burning 
question,  and  plans  were  projected  as  to  how  best  to 
meet  it.  When  immigration  began  to  lag,  and  some  of  the 
older  congregations  began  to  decline  because  of  the  re- 
moval, or  defection,  of  some  of  the  younger  members  on 
account  of  lack  of  familiarity  with  the  language  hitherto 
used,  both  pastors  and  observant  laymen  began  to  seriously 
consider  the  introduction  of  the  English.  In  other  places 
the  importance  of  beginning  entirely  English  Missions 
was  seriously  considered.  Here  and  there,  where  the 
field  was  already  overripe,  an  English  congregation  was 
organized,  either  by  the  Germans,  the  Swedes  or  the 
Norwegians.  Whilst  the  effort  may  have  at  first  been  only 
spasmodic,  it  gave  hope  of  more  systematic  work.  Special 
committees  were  appointed  to  look  after  the  English  work 
by  the  different  Synods,  and  in  some  cases  field  mission- 


THE  CHURCH  WAKING  UP  143 

aries  to  investigate  fields,  and  organize  missions  in  order 
to  keep  their  people  in  their  own  Synodical  connection. 

In  September,  1909,  the  General  Council  again  met  in 
Minneapolis;  this  time  not  in  the  church  of  a  struggling 
mission,  as  was  the  case  twenty-one  years  before.  Al- 
though it  was  invited  by  the  same  pastor,  who  was  the 
missionary  at  the  former  date,  but  now  it  was  enter- 
tained by  the  second  congregation  he  had  organized,  meet- 
ing in  the  new  Salem  Church  which  was  at  the  time  con- 
ceded to  be  the  finest  English  Lutheran  church  building 
in  the  Northwest.  It  was  again  a  record  convention, 
having  a  larger  number  of  delegates  than  had  attended 
any  previous  meeting.  Nothing  that  had  occurred  during 
the  previous  quarter  of  a  century  showed  more  clearly  the 
progress  of  English  Lutheranism  in  the  Northwest. 
St.  John's  congregation,  which,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Swedish  Augustana  Church,  and  other  friends,  had  enter- 
tained the  body  in  1888,  had  grown  into  a  strong  congre- 
gation, worshiping  in  a  new  church,  in  a  more  desirable 
part  of  the  city.  Salem,  organized  a  year  after  that  con- 
vention, and  which  had  struggled  along  under  a  galling 
burden  of  debt  for  a  number  of  years,  had  become  a  lead- 
ing congregation,  with  a  magnificent  church  and  parsonage, 
all  paid  for.  A  third  congregation,  St.  Mark's,  had  be- 
come self-sustaining,  and  a  fourth,  Holy  Trinity,  was  strik- 
ing its  roots  deep,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city.  In 
St.  Paul  there  were  three  flourishing  English  congregations. 
The  Lutheran  church  had,  through  the  medium  of  the 
English  language,  given  proof  to  the  so-called  "American" 
population,  that  it  is  not  a  foreign  church,  but  that  it  is  the 
leading  church  in  Protestantism,  commanding  the  respect 
of  all  classes.  Where  there  was  one  missionary  in  the 
Spring  of  1883  and  four  in  1888,  there  were  now  nine  pas- 


144     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

tors  on  the  same  field,  with  numerous  outlying  points  occu- 
pied. Those  who  were  present  at  the  previous  convention 
and  had  seen  the  feeble  beginning,  were  impressed  with 
the  work  that  had  been  done,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for 
the  boundless  blessings  with  which  He  had  crowned  the 
efforts  of  the  Church  in  the  extension  of  His  kingdom. 

This  meeting  of  the  General  Council  had  a  stimulating 
effect  upon  the  different  Synods  which  most  strongly 
represented  the  Northwest.  This  was  particularly  notice- 
able in  the  Augustana  Synod,  a  member  of  the  General 
Council,  which  has  taken  hold  of  the  English  work  in 
earnest  by  appointing  an  English  field  missionary.  While 
it  is  especially  through  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest  that 
the  English  work  was  carried  forward  during  the  first 
quarter  of  a  century,  from  its  inception  in  1882,  the  future 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  on  this  territory  is  greater  than 
that  of  any  Synod.  It  is,  therefore,  a  matter  over  which 
to  rejoice  that  the  influence  of  the  General  Council,  in  the 
work  of  extending  the  Church,  has  made  itself  felt  in  every 
Lutheran  body,  not  excepting  Missouri.  A  strong  move- 
ment toward  English  is  beginning  to  manifest  itself  in 
Synods,  which,  until  in  recent  years,  showed  little  interest 
in  that  direction.  The  consciousness  that,  since  immigra- 
tion from  Lutheran  countries  is  on  the  decline,  the  future  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  can  only  be  assured  by  retaining  the 
rising  generation  in  it,  which  means,  by  giving  them  the 
Gospel  in  the  language  of  America,  made  necessary  by  con- 
ditions and  environment,  is  prompting  many  to  the  use  of 
the  English  in  some  of  the  services  of  the  Church.  To 
this  the  work  of  the  General  Council  in  the  Northwest  has, 
to  a  very  great  extent,  been  the  stimulating  force,  by  its 
activity  in  the  organization  of  exclusively  English  con- 
gregations. 


THE  CHURCH  WAKING  UP  145 

While  some  pastors,  as  well  as  some  laymen,  have  been 
and  still  are  ultra-conservative,  and  unwilling  to  see  the 
need  of  English  in  their  congregations  or  even  communi- 
ties, putting  the  language  above  the  faith,  that  spirit  is 
gradually  growing  less,  to  the  great  advantage  of  the 
Church.  The  following  incident  proves  the  foregoing 
statement.  The  son  of  a  German  family,  members  of  a 
German  Lutheran  congregation  in  a  western  city,  married 
the  daughter  of  Norwegian  Lutheran  parents.  Both 
understood  the  English  language  fully  as  well  as  their 
mother  tongue.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  attended 
the  service  in  one  of  the  English  congregations.  The 
pastor  met  them  and  took  their  address.  During  the 
week,  he  took  occasion  to  call  at  the  house  and  happened 
to  get  into  the  apartments  of  the  man's  parents,  both 
living  in  the  same  building.  He  told  the  mother  who  he 
was,  and  that  her  son  and  wife  had  been  at  the  church. 
She  remarked  with  great  emphasis  that  they  must  go  to 
the  German  church.  When  he  told  her  that  her  daughter- 
in-law  did  not  understand  German,  the  reply  was,  "sie 
soils  lernen"  (she  must  learn  it).  Fortunately,  by  con- 
stant contact  with  Germans  for  some  months,  and  being 
desirous  to  please  her  mother-in-law,  she  did  learn  to 
speak  the  German,  and  with  her  husband  attended  the 
German  church.  To  the  great  surprise  of  the  English 
pastor,  those  people,  a  few  years  later,  applied  for  mem- 
bership in  the  English  congregation,  with  the  consent  of 
the  mother,  who  is  no  longer  prejudiced  against  the 
language. 

Moreover,  the  awakening  of  the  Church  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  English  is  seen  in  the  many  German  and 
Scandinavian  congregations  which  have  of  late  years 
introduced  English  into  their  services.      In  some  cases 


146     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

it  is  only  occasionally,  in  others  every  other  Sunday 
evening,  in  still  others  every  Sunday  evening,  while  in 
some  every  other  Sunday  morning  the  people  gather 
to  hear  the  Gospel  in  the  language  of  the  country.  What 
has  caused  the  great  change?  Stern  necessity,  to  prevent 
the  congregations  from  disintegrating,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  a  broader  outlook  on  the  part  of  many  pastors,  on 
the  other.  During  that  long  period  in  "which  the  mother 
tongue  has  maintained  itself,  how  many  thousands  have 
drifted  away  and  been  lost  to  the  Church,  for  the  lan- 
guage sake?  While  in  many  cases  these  losses  were  not 
noticed;  even  frequently  where  it  could  not  help  to  be 
noticed,  there  was  often  a  degree  of  national  pride  which 
deliberately  closed  its  eyes  to  all  losses,  placing  the 
language,  in  matters  of  religion,  above  the  salvation  of 
precious  souls,  straying  from  the  fold.  The  influence  of 
the  popular  education,  which  is  of  necessity  in  the  English 
language,  makes  it  difficult  to  assimilate  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  a  tongue  which  is  no  more  so  familiar 
because  used  less  frequently,  and  which  makes  instruc- 
tion in  religion  in  English  a  necessity. 

As  the  years  passed  on  more  and  more  stress  was  laid 
upon  English  instruction  in  German  and  other  theo- 
logical seminaries.  In  1907  the  writer  called  upon  Dr. 
Pieper,  president  of  the  Concordia  Theological  Seminary 
in  St.  Louis.  In  speaking  of  the  importance  of  theological 
students  being  well  grounded  in  the  English  language, 
Dr.  Pieper  remarked,  "a  pastor  that  is  not  familiar  with 
the  English  language  we  cannot  use;  we  have  come  to  the 
time  when  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  language 
is  a  necessity  for  every  pastor,  without  it  his  usefulness  is 
impaired." 

Although  that  was  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Pieper  at  that 


THE  CHURCH  WAKING  UP  147 

time,  the  German  was  still  insisted  on,  as  far  as  possible, 
even  among  the  young  people  in  the  Missouri  Synod. 
In  August,  19 1 2,  the  Lutheran  Standard,  the  English 
organ  of  the  joint  Synod  of  Ohio,  had  the  following  under 
the  caption  "MORE  ENGLISH  FOR  LUTHERANS": 
"Bearing  date  of  July  24th,  a  press  dispatch  from  the 
Missouri  Synod's  Luther  League  Convention  comes  to 
hand  saying  that  a  resolution  was  passed,  according  to 
which  hereafter  both  the  English  and  the  German  language 
shall  be  recognized  as  the  official  language  of  the  League; 
whereas  heretofore  the  German  language  alone  was 
officially  recognized  in  that  body." 

The  Standard  makes  the  following  comments:  "Luth- 
erans ought  long  since  to  have  outgrown  the  idea  that  the 
Lutheran  Church  is  the  conservator  of  a  special  language. 
That  idea  has  played  havoc  here  and  there,  and  the  havoc 
is  usually  such  as  to  render  later  efforts  to  repair  it  un- 
availing. 

No  one  will  deny  that  the  language  question  is  a  diffi- 
cult problem.  No  one  will  claim  that  situations  do  not 
constantly  arise  in  which  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to 
decide  which  is  the  wise  and  the  just  course  to  pursue. 
Yet,  the  fact  that  some  congregations  have  met  the 
language  difficulty  shows  that  it  can  be  met,  and  that, 
where  it  is  not  successfully  met,  the  fault  lies  in  the  people 
who  are  handling  the  situation  and  not  in  the  nature  of  the 
situation." 

This  awakening  of  the  Church  to  the  importance  of  its 
mission  in  this  country,  which  is,  to  reach  the  largest  num- 
ber possible  with  the  pure  Gospel,  is  a  healthy  sign  for  the 
future.  From  now  on  the  question  of  language  in  the 
services  of  the  Church  should  step  more  and  more  into  the 
background,  and  the  much  larger  question — How  can  the 


148     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

masses  who  have  already  gone  adrift,  best  be  reclaimed? — 
should  animate  all  the  church  activities.  It  is  not  a  ques- 
tion of  English  or  German  or  Swedish  or  any  other  lan- 
guage, but  the  question  of  saving,  to  Christ  and  to  His 
Church,  first,  the  straying  sheep  from  the  Lutheran  fold, 
and,  second,  the  gathering  of  the  unsaved,  of  whatever 
class  or  condition,  unto  Christ,  to  serve  Him  in  His  Church 
and  be  saved  forever.  This  part  of  the  Church's  mission 
has  been  too  much  neglected,  as  if  only  straying  Lutheran 
sheep  were  worthy  of  her  attention.  But  the  light  is  be- 
ginning to  break.  Upon  the  Church  of  the  Reformation 
depends  in  a  large  part  the  salvation  of  the  nation. 


The  First  Missionary — After  thirty  years  in  the  Northwest 


CHAPTER  XIX 

PUTTING  SYNOD  ABOVE  THE  CHURCH 

The  English  work  of  the  General  Council,  especially  in 
the  Northwest,  has  not  always  tended  to  the  drawing  to- 
gether of  the  different  nationalities  into  a  closer  union. 
While  the  idea  of  a  United  Lutheran  Church  sometime 
in  the  future  is  an  object  worthy  of  the  best  efforts  on  the 
part  of  every  division  of  our  Zion,  it  can  only  be  attained 
by  patience  and  forbearance.  The  Apostle's  admonition — 
"Forbearing  one  another  in  love" — is  here  of  the  most  vital 
importance.  There  should  be  constant  effort  to  avoid  any 
occasion  of  offense,  showing  due  respect  to  the  brethren 
who  may  not  understand  our  position,  until  all  are  led  to 
see  eye  to  eye.  Though  there  is,  in  the  main,  perfect 
agreement  in  doctrine  between  the  several  Synodical  bodies 
on  this  territory  and  a  mutual  recognition  of  the  Lutheran 
character  of  all,  there  is  little  co-operation  in  the  general 
work  of  the  Church. 

The  English  work  has  had  the  effect  at  times  of  arous- 
ing more  or  less  jealousy,  and  of  awakening  a  more  intense 
nationalistic  spirit.  While  it  has  awakened  the  different 
bodies  to  do  aggressive  English  work,  it  has  at  the  same 
time  aroused  them  to  greater  zeal  in  preserving  their 
own  peculiar  national  characteristics  in  the  services,  and 
in  their  associations,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  the  English 
congregations  remain  true  to  the  particular  Synod  by 
which  established. 

149 


150     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

In  order  to  do  this  more  effectually  and  to  emphasize 
the  difference  between  their  English  congregations  and  the 
congregations  organized  by  the  English  Board  of  Home 
Missions  (although  standing  on  the  same  doctrinal  basis), 
both  the  Swedes  and  the  Norwegians  have  published  their 
own  hymn  and  service  books.  Instead  of  using  the  pure 
Lutheran  liturgy,  known  as  "The  Common  Service,"  and 
in  use  in  the  English  portion  of  the  Church  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  there  is  the  fear  that  such  use  might  wean 
their  young  people  away  from  their  own  nationality  and 
Synod. 

To  prevent  their  being  weaned  away,  and  to  show  that 
the  service  used  in  their  English  churches  is  also  a  truly 
Lutheran  service,  and  is  the  same  as  that  used  in  the 
Swedish  churches  or  the  Norwegian  churches  of  the  same 
Synod,  the  national  liturgy  has  in  both  cases  been  trans- 
lated, and  is  introduced  in  all  the  English  congregations 
of  the  several  bodies.  That  this  is  perfectly  legitimate  no 
one  can  deny,  and  it  is  no  reflection  on  their  Lutheran 
character;  and,  moreover,  it  preserves  to  the  children  the 
traditions  of  the  fatherland.  Nevertheless,  this  fact 
gives  the  Church  in  America  a  separatistic  character, 
and  leaves  the  impression  upon  those  outside  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  that  the  Church  is  not  one  body  of  be- 
lievers, but  a  number  of  different  denominations.  While 
it  is  quite  natural  to  cling  to  traditions,  and  it  is  difficult  for 
some  people  to  adjust  themselves  to  new  conditions,  is  not 
the  cause  of  Christ  and  His  Church  of  greater  importance 
than  any  national  peculiarities?  Is  it  a  reflection  upon 
our  ancestors  if  we,  in  this  land,  join  hands  with  those 
who  are  not  descended  from  the  Vikings,  or  who  cannot 
boast  of  German  blood,  but  who  have  learned  to  appre- 
ciate the  Lutheran  Church  because  she  holds  the  true 


PUTTING  SYNOD  ABOVE  THE  CHURCH         151 

faith,  which  is  the  same  in  every  language?  Since  "God 
has  of  one  blood  made  all  the  nations  of  men"  (Acts  17 :  26), 
is  not  the  unity  of  the  Church,  by  which,  as  a  mighty  force, 
she  can  present  a  united  front  against  the  forces  of  un- 
righteousness, more  to  be  aimed  at  than  the  conservation 
of  peculiar  nationalistic  distinctions? 

That  nationalistic  prejudices  are  a  serious  handicap  in 
the  development  of  the  Church,  and  cannot  help  to  retard 
its  progress,  is  clear,  when  we  consider  the  antagonisms 
it  often  causes,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  waste  of  energy 
on  the  other.  Here  is  an  English  congregation  recently 
organized,  composed  of  Lutherans  who  have  laid  aside 
their  nationalistic  prejudices,  and  which  belongs  to  an 
English  Synod.  Instead  of  being  looked  upon  with 
favor  by  the  neighboring  church  of  some  particular 
nationality,  it  not  unfrequently  happens  that  it  is  frowned 
upon  as  an  interloper,  although  the  pastor  is  exceedingly 
careful  neither  to  violate  the  discipline  of  his  neighbor, 
nor  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  his  work.  He  is  very 
careful  not  to  hold  out  any  inducements  to  the  people  of 
the  neighboring  Lutheran  parish  to  come  into  his  church, 
and  yet  he  is  looked  upon  with  suspicion,  and  all  because 
he  belongs  to  a  distinctively  English  Synod.  Then  it  has 
happened  that,  in  order  to  keep  any  who  prefer  the 
English  from  uniting  with  the  congregation  already  or- 
ganized, another  English  Church  is  planted  in  the  same 
neighborhood  belonging  to  the  foreign  body,  and  so  altar 
is  erected  against  altar. 

An  English  missionary  was  called  to  do  missionary  work 
in  a  western  city  and  organize  an  English  congregation 
under  the  auspices  of  a  Norwegian  Synod.  The  instruc- 
tions he  received  were,  "gather  only  those  of  Norwegian 
stock  into  the  congregation,  and  do  not  try  to  persuade 


152     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

any  others  to  join."  The  young  missionary  remon- 
strated, saying,  "why  not  gather  in  all  the  unchurched 
that  can  be  reached  by  the  Gospel  of  whatever  nationality 
their  ancestors  may  have  been?"  The  reply  was,  "if 
you  do  that,  after  a  while  the  congregation  may  want  to 
leave  our  Synod  and  join  an  entirely  English  body." 
Here  the  Synod  was  plainly  put  above  the  faith.  Sup- 
pose an  English  missionary  belonging  to  a  German,  or 
Norwegian,  or  Swedish  Synod,  strictly  carried  out  such 
instructions,  would  he  fulfil  the  commission  to  "preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature"?  Suppose  the  different 
nationalities  were  all  strongly  represented  on  the  same  ter- 
ritory, it  would  make  it  necessary  that  at  least  one  other, 
with  less  contracted  views,  begin  another  mission,  in  order 
to  gather  in  the  straying  and  neglected  sheep,  and  so  rival 
congregations  would  be  established  where  one  could  have 
done  the  work,  had  a  more  liberal  and  Christian  policy 
been  followed. 

Every  part  of  the  Lutheran  Church  can  learn  more  or 
less  from  every  other  part.  Since  all  confess  the  same 
faith,  co-operation,  wherever  possible,  on  the  part  of  the 
several  nationalities  would  no  doubt  accrue  to  the  benefit 
of  all.  It  is  only  by  contact  that  the  several  parts  can 
really  learn  to  know  each  other.  It  is  unfortunate  that 
by  refusing  contact  with  others  in  religious  work  common 
to  the  whole  Church  many  are  deprived  of  very  im- 
portant knowledge,  and  the  united  development  of  the 
Church  is  hindered. 

This  is  especially  noticed  in  the  Luther  League  work. 
When  the  Luther  League  was  organized,  its  aim  was  to 
arouse  the  young  people  to  greater  interest  in  the  Church 
as  a  whole,  and  greater  activity  in  the  individual  con- 
gregations.   It  soon  attracted  attention  and  its  value  was 


PUTTING  SYNOD  ABOVE  THE  CHURCH         153 

recognized  in  different  parts  of  the  Church.  The  Synodical 
Conference,  while  not  recognizing  the  Luther  League, 
encouraged  the  organizing  of  the  "Walther  League." 
Other  Synods  began  to  take  hold  of  the  Luther  League 
work,  and  it  soon  spread  among  the  Scandinavians  of 
the  West.  Among  the  Swedes  and  Norwegians,  the 
Luther  League  was  hailed  as  an  excellent  instrumentality 
in  congregational  work,  and  not  a  few  German  congre- 
gations organized  Luther  Leagues.  For  a  while  the 
leagues  in  the  different  Synods  of  the  several  nationalities 
worked  together,  and  the  joint  meetings  in  the  district  and 
State  organizations  were  helpful  to  all.  But  the  national- 
istic spirit  came  into  the  foreground.  While  in  some  dis- 
tricts Swedish,  Norwegian  and  German  societies  worked 
together  in  harmony  in  others  some  of  the  pastors 
would  not  permit  their  young  peoples'  societies  to  work 
together  with  the  societies  of  distinctively  English  con- 
gregations not  of  their  particular  Synod.  The  idea  that 
the  Swedes  can  do  their  work  best  by  themselves,  and  that 
the  Norwegians  can  do  their  work  best  by  themselves, 
without  direct  contact  with  other  sections  of  the  Church, 
became  more  and  more  prominent. 

But  back  of  this  idea  of  being  able  to  do  better  work 
without  contact  with  those  of  another  Synodical  body 
was  the  fear  that,  by  the  young  people  of  the  several 
nationalities  working  together  with  the  young  people 
of  a  distinctively  English  Synod,  their  loyalty  to  their 
own  body  might  be  shaken,  and  many  might  go  and 
unite  with  the  so-called  "American"  Church.  There 
was  no  question  raised  with  respect  to  the  doctrinal  posi- 
tion of  the  Luther  League,  but  it  was  the  practical  ques- 
tion of  self-preservation.  While  there  were  no  such 
fears  in  the  minds  of  the  English  brethren,  and  they 


154     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

longed  for  co-operation  with  the  brethren  of  the  several 
nationalities,  in  order  that  the  Lutherans  might  prove 
their  oneness  in  faith  in  a  practical  way,  they  were  obliged, 
for  a  while  at  least,  to  walk  practically  alone.  There, 
however,  still  remained  a  bond  of  union  in  the  fact  that 
the  Luther  League  is  recognized,  and  the  work  among  the 
young  people  of  the  several  nationalities  not  only  goes 
under  the  name,  but  is  along  the  line  of  the  Luther  League 
of  America,  which  in  itself  points  to  a  time  in  the  possible 
near  future  when  the  causes  which  prevent  united  action 
now  will  recede  into  the  background,  and  all  will  work 
together  for  mutual  edification  and  for  the  advancement 
of  the  Church  as  a  whole.  While  the  placing  of  the 
Synodical  body  first,  and  the  greater  interests  of  the 
Church  as  a  whole  in  the  second  place,  was  regarded  by 
some  as  of  paramount  importance,  showing  factional 
spirit,  it  is  no  reflection  upon  the  sincerity  of  those  earnest 
men  and  upon  their  Christian  character. 

The  motives  for  the  division  of  the  Luther  League  work 
were  no  doubt  pure.  Many  of  the  leaders  in  the  Church 
sincerely  believed,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  in  the 
Luther  League  of  America,  that  by  its  working  along 
Synodical  lines  the  best  interests  of  the  Church  would  be 
subserved.  But  the  fear  that  some  of  the  young  people 
of  the  Scandinavian  and  German  churches  would  be 
enticed  away  from  their  congregations,  to  unite  with 
purely  English  congregations,  while  it  existed,  was  not 
the  prime  reason  for  declining  to  co-operate  in  the  Dis- 
trict and  State  leagues.  The  deeper  motive  no  doubt 
was  for  the  Church  to  have  better  control  of  its  young 
people  in  the  particular  Synods, — the  inculcation  of 
loyalty  to  the  particular  Synodical  body.  While  co- 
operation would  place  all  the  different  bodies  upon  one 


PUTTING  SYNOD  ABOVE  THE  CHURCH  155 

plane,  separation  would  more  readily  permit  the  em- 
phasizing of  the  importance  of  the  particular  body  to 
which  the  congregation  belonged. 

There  are  numerous  indications  pointing  to  a  bright 
future  for  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America.  While 
great  stress  may  be  laid  upon  the  particular  organization, 
there  is  a  strong  feeling  of  co-operation  in  certain  depart- 
ments of  Church  work,  on  the  part  of  different  divisions 
of  the  Church,  both  east  and  west.  The  Church  is  begin- 
ning to  realize  that,  where  there  is  oneness  in  the  faith, 
there  should  be  unity  of  effort  in  building  up  Christ's 
kingdom,  and  in  working  for  the  highest  welfare  of  man- 
kind. That  only  by  so  doing  will  she  be  able  to  resent 
the  insult  of  her  enemies,  who  stigmatize  her  as  being 
composed  of  several  distinct  denominations,  and  can 
secure  the  recognition  she  deserves  as  the  Church  of  the 
Reformation.  This  co-operation  is  specially  manifest 
in  several  centres  in  Inner  Mission  work,  particularly  in 
Minneapolis,  Minnesota  and  at  Pittsburgh,  Penna. 

At  a  State  Luther  League  Convention,  held  at  St.  Olaf 
College,  Northfield,  Minn.,  in  1903,  there  was  an  address 
on  Inner  Missions,  which  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tion. The  following  year,  at  a  convention  held  in  Minne- 
apolis, the  subject  was  discussed  and  a  committee  ap- 
pointed to  further  consider  the  matter  and  devise  some 
plan  looking  to  the  organization  of  an  Inner  Mission 
Society.  A  number  of  leading  Lutherans  were  invited 
to  meet  in  the  parlor  of  one  of  the  hotels  in  Minneapolis, 
where  the  subject  was  considered.  Other  meetings  were 
held,  composed  of  representatives  of  English,  German, 
Norwegian  and  Swedish  congregations,  and  after  mature 
deliberation  articles  of  incorporation  were  adopted,  and  in 
September,  1905,  the  Lutheran  Inner  Mission  Society  of 


156     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Minneapolis  was  duly  incorporated.  The  purpose  of  the 
society  is  given  in  Article  I  of  the  Charter:  "The  general 
purpose  of  the  corporation  shall  be  to  do  Inner  Mission 
work,  by  endeavoring  to  bring  the  Gospel  and  the  minis- 
trations of  Christian  love  to  those  not  now  reached  by 
the  Churches,  to  throw  proper  safeguards  around  those  of 
the  Lutheran  faith  who  come  as  strangers  to  the  city,  to 
save  those  who  are  in  danger  of  falling  into  vice,  and  to 
exercise  Christian  mercy  of  whatever  class  and  character." 

Members  of  any  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregation 
may  become  members  of  this  society.  The  Board  of 
Directors  shall  consist  of  twelve  persons,  each  one  of 
whom  shall  be  a  member  of  an  Evangelical  Lutheran 
congregation,  and  as  near  as  may  be,  they  shall  repre- 
sent the  various  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregations  in 
the  city  of  Minneapolis,  which  are  interested  in  the  Inner 
Mission  work. 

Here  Norwegians,  Swedes,  Germans  and  English  work 
together  in  harmony,  one  motive  actuating  all,  the 
strengthening  of  the  Church  and  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind. They  work  together  as  brethren  whose  interests  and 
aims  as  well  as  their  faith  are  one.  The  President  of  the 
Board  has  from  the  beginning  been  a  member  of  an 
entirely  English  Synod;  the  Vice-president  is  a  German, 
the  Secretary,  English;  the  treasurer,  a  Norwegian,  and 
a  Swede  is  on  the  Executive  Committee.  The  Super- 
intendent and  City  Missionary  is  a  German,  the  As- 
sistant Missionary  is  of  the  Norwegian  Hauge  Synod, 
and  a  Deaconess  employed  is  from  a  Norwegian  Mother 
House. 

This  united  work  of  the  Lutherans  in  Minneapolis  is 
making  an  impression  in  the  city,  and  is  being  recognized 
by    various    charitable    organizations,    municipal    and 


PUTTING  SYNOD  ABOVE  THE  CHURCH  157 

otherwise.  It  is  a  sign  of  the  times,  pointing  toward  a 
drawing  together  of  the  Lutheran  forces,  for  if  brethren 
are  able  to  work  together  in  this  noble  cause,  why  should 
they  not  be  able  to  work  together  in  a  wider  sphere  where 
the  great  interests  of  the  whole  Lutheran  Church  are 
concerned?    God  speed  the  day. 


CHAPTER  XX 


AFTER  THIRTY   YEARS 


Taking  a  look  backward  and  considering  the  feeble 
beginnings  in  1883,  and  looking  out  over  the  field  after 
thirty  years  of  effort  in  the  establishing  of  English  con- 
gregations, the  Church  has  abundant  reason  to  thank 
God  and  take  courage.  While  much  more  should  have 
been  done,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  was  pioneer 
work,  inasmuch  as  it  was  begun  practically  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  transition  of  the  several  foreign  languages 
into  the  English.  That  change,  as  far  as  it  concerned 
the  Germans  in  many  parts  of  the  eastern  portion  of  our 
country,  had  been  going  on  for  over  three-quarters  of  a 
century,  and  there  was  a  well-established  English  church. 
But  since  immigration  into  the  Northwest  from  Germany 
and  the  Scandinavian  countries  was  scarcely  fifty  years 
old,  and  was  at  the  time  the  English  work  was  begun  at 
its  height,  taxing  to  the  utmost  the  energies  of  the  several 
bodies  ministering  to  those  immigrants,  the  work  accom- 
plished is,  after  all,  great. 

While  the  most  aggressive  work  was  done  by  the  faith- 
ful missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
of  the  General  Council,  the  different  nationalities  took 
notice,  and  according  to  ability  laid  the  foundation  for 
energetic  English  work  among  their  own  people.  That 
the  development  in  the  different  Synods  on  the  territory 
was  slow  was  largely  from  force  of  circumstances.  An 
English  ministry  had  to  be  trained,  prejudices  had  to  be 

158 


AFTER  THIRTY  YEARS  159 

removed,  and  the  ground  (to  use  figurative  language) 
had  to  be  prepared  before  the  seed  could  be  sowed  and  a 
harvest  gathered. 

By  degrees  the  work  was  pushed  forward,  and  that 
numerous  centres  promising  a  rich  harvest  remained  un- 
occupied for  years  was  in  many  cases  caused  by  the  lack 
of  men,  and  at  the  same  time  the  means  were  wanting  to 
go  in  and  occupy  the  waste  places.  Moreover,  after 
the  most  stragetic  places  were  occupied,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  build  them  up,  and  put  them  on  a  proper  footing, 
before  the  work  could  safely  be  extended  to  other  points. 

In  the  extreme  Northwest  we  find  the  Pacific  Synod, 
extending  over  Washington,  Oregon,  California  and  into 
British  Columbia.  Instead  of  a  few  feeble  missions  there 
are  a  number  of  well-established  congregations  with 
imposing  church  buildings,  showing  the  substantial 
growth  of  the  work.  In  order  to  provide  an  adequate 
ministry  to  assure  the  future  development  of  the  work,  a 
theological  seminary  has  been  founded,  giving  promise  of 
a  bright  future  for  the  Church,  especially  in  the  extreme 
Northwest  of  our  land. 

In  the  western  Canadian  provinces  the  seed  is  beginning 
to  become  securely  rooted,  as  is  seen  in  the  substantial 
church  just  completed  in  Winnipeg.  That  the  develop- 
ment will  be  rapid  during  the  next  quarter  of  a  century 
there  is  little  reason  to  doubt,  judging  from  the  rapid 
transition  to  English,  especially  in  the  Canadian  cities, 
and  from  the  large  number  of  Lutherans  that  are  con- 
stantly emigrating  from  the  United  States  into  Canada. 

Nor  is  the  work  in  the  English  language  confined  to 
the  hitherto  English  portion  of  the  Church.  German, 
Swedish  and  Norwegian  Synods  are  being  more  and  more 
aroused  to  its  importance,  and  are  pushing  forward  on 


160     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

every  side,  not  only  to  retain  their  young  people  by  using 
the  English  in  part  of  their  services,  but  by  founding 
entirely  English  congregations  and  so  opening  the  way 
for  gathering  the  unchurched,  without  respect  to  national- 
ity. The  number  of  bi-lingual  churches  is  growing  from 
year  to  year  among  the  different  nationalities,  but  all 
see  that  that  does  not  suffice  in  our  large  cities,  and  many 
entirely  English  congregations  are  being  established. 
The  united  Norwegian  Church,  the  Norwegian  Synod 
together  with  other  Norwegian  bodies  are  very  active, 
and  have  exclusively  English  congregations  in  Chicago, 
Minneapolis  and  other  cities.  The  instruction  in  their 
colleges  and  theological  seminaries  is  largely  in  the  English 
language.  The  German  Iowa  Synod  is  doing  exclusively 
English  work,  not  to  speak  of  Missouri,  which  has  numer- 
ous English  congregations,  as  also  the  joint  Synod  of  Ohio. 

The  most  active  of  the  Synods  that  has  hitherto  been 
using  a  foreign  tongue  in  promoting  the  English  work 
is,  no  doubt,  the  Augustana,  a  member  of  the  General 
Council.  While  not  neglecting  to  push  the  Swedish  work 
wherever  there  are  new  settlements,  it  is  looking  to  the 
future,  and  is  becoming  more  and  more  active  in  the 
founding  of  English  churches.  It  has  (1913)  thirty- two 
exclusively  English  congregations  with  a  total  membership 
of  5274,  with  church  property  valued  at  $55,862.68.  It 
has  congregations  in  Chicago,  Rock  Island,  Minneapolis, 
St.  Paul,  St.  Peter,  Duluth,  Spokane  and  other  north- 
western cities. 

In  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin  the  English  work  has  been 
placed  on  a  solid  foundation,  and  is  making  an  impression 
on  the  several  communities.  In  Minneapolis  where  it  was 
inaugurated  with  such  a  feeble  beginning,  there  are,  after 
thirty  years,  no  less  than  twelve  exclusively  English  con- 


Church  of  the  Reformation.  St.  Paul 


AFTER  THIRTY  YEARS  161 

gregations,  with  over  twice  as  many  bi-lingual.  Of  the 
entirely  English  congregations,  eight  belong  to  the  General 
Council.  While  the  number  of  English  congregations  in 
St.  Paul  is  not  as  large,  the  work  being  done  is  no  less 
aggressive  and  substantial.  The  finest  Lutheran  church 
building  in  the  Northwest,  the  Church  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, was  made  possible  by  the  uniting  of  the  Memorial 
and  St.  James'  congregations.  In  Wisconsin,  where  the 
beginnings  were  equally  small,  there  is  a  rapid  forward 
movement,  and  year  after  year  new  fields  are  occupied. 
In  Milwaukee,  where  the  beginning  was  made  in  1889 
by  the  Rev.  W.  K.  Frick,  and  through  whose  inspiration 
the  work  has  been  extended,  there  are  now  no  less  than 
eleven  English  Lutheran  churches,  four  of  which  belong- 
ing to  the  General  Council.  It  was  the  General  Council 
work  that  caused  the  awakening  of  the  Wisconsin  and 
Missouri  Synods  to  the  importance  of  extending  the 
Church  in  the  official  language  of  America.  The  most 
recent  of  the  English  churches  in  Milwaukee  is  in  Lake 
Park,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State. 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  English  work  in  Wisconsin 
is  due  to  the  energy  and  tactfulness  of  the  former  field 
missionary,  and  later  Western  Superintendent  of  Missions, 
the  Rev.  A.  C.  Anda.  No  one  could  have  been  better 
fitted  for  the  position  he  occupied.  All  the  missions  he 
organized  have  grown  into  substantial  congregations. 

The  influence  of  those  early  beginnings  is  being  felt 
far  and  wide.  It  has  reacted  on  the  East  and  stimulated 
to  greater  zeal  in  the  prosecution  of  the  English  work  in 
the  cities  and  larger  towns.  It  has  indirectly  influenced 
the  organization  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  New 
England,  as  well  as  that  of  eastern  Canada.  The  Pacific 
Synod  is  the  child  of  the  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  for  it 


1 62     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

was  through  the  beginnings  made  in  Minnesota  that  the 
pre-empting  of  the  Northwest  Pacific  Coast  for  the  English 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  General  Council  was  made  pos- 
sible. The  Pacific  Synod  has  strengthened  its  stakes 
during  the  twelve  years  of  its  existence,  and  has  come  to 
the  point  when  it  can  do  more  aggressive  work  in  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Church. 

Where,  in  1882,  there  was  not  a  single  English  congrega- 
tion in  any  city  from  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to 
the  shore  of  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  northern  border  of 
Illinois  and  Iowa  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  not  only  has 
every  one  of  the  northern  tier  of  States  been  occupied, 
but  the  sun  of  Lutheranism  in  the  English  language  is 
beginning  to  shine  in  the  Northwest  British  provinces. 

What  has  aided  very  materially  in  advancing  the  in- 
terests of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  English  language, 
especially  in  the  Northwest,  was  the  founding  of  the 
Chicago  Lutheran  Theological  Seminary.  This  had  been 
the  dream  of  the  far-sighted  Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant  for 
years,  but  it  was  not  until  1891  that  the  institution  was 
incorporated,  and  it  was  opened  for  students  in  1893. 
It  was  intended  to  furnish  ministers  especially  for  the 
West  and  Northwest,  and  by  so  doing  lend  efficient  aid  in 
building  up  an  English  Lutheran  church.  From  the 
very  beginning  it  drew  students  from  every  part  of  the 
Church,  east,  west  and  south,  but  the  largest  number 
came  from  the  Middle  West,  among  which  have  been 
Norwegian,  Swedish  and  German,  who  have  gone  back 
to  their  own  Synods  as  teachers  in  colleges  and  Theo- 
logical seminaries,  and  as  preachers  in  the  language  of 
America.  This  has  aided  in  stimulating  the  English 
work  among  the  different  nationalities,  and  will  render 
more  efficient  aid  as  the  years  pass  by. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


THE  LUTHERAN  SITUATION 


The  Central  Northwestern  States,  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota and  North  Dakota,  are  Lutheran  strongholds,  where, 
in  many  places,  the  Lutheran  Church  outnumbers  all  the 
so-called  Protestant  denominations.  Wisconsin,  for  ex- 
ample (statistics  gathered  by  Rev.  G.  Keller  Ruprecht), 
according  to  the  religious  census  of  1906,  had  1,000,903 
church  members  not  including  the  baptized  children. 
In  191 2  the  Catholic  Church  membership  was  estimated 
to  be  520,000,  while  the  Lutherans  numbered  295,913,  and 
all  the  other  Protestants  combined  numbered  only  184,990. 
After  learning  the  situation,  a  General  Superintendent  of 
Missions  of  a  leading  denomination  remarked,  "When  it 
comes  to  a  showing  of  strength  in  Wisconsin,  the  Roman 
Catholics  and  the  Lutherans  are  the  only  denominations 
which  really  count.  The  rest  of  us  are  not  in  the  race." 
There  were  then  in  the  State  750  Lutheran  ministers  and 
13  7 1  congregations,  and,  in  addition,  136  unorganized 
missions. 

Of  that  large  number  of  congregations,  only  forty  used 
the  English  language  exclusively,  of  which  eighteen  be- 
longed to  the  English  Synod  of  the  Northwest,  the  other 
twenty-two  being  scattered  among  the  six  or  seven,  or 
more,  other  Synodical  bodies.  The  need  of  English 
services  is  being  felt  more  and  more  from  year  to  year, 
and  the  number  of  congregations  introducing  English 

163 


164     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

once  a  month  or  Sunday  evenings  is  growing  very  rapidly, 
especially  in  the  cities  and  larger  towns. 

While  the  strength  of  the  Lutheran  Church  is  so  pro- 
nounced, there  is  a  very  sad  side  to  the  religious  conditions 
in  the  State,  and  the  same  condition  obtains  also  in  other 
States.  It  is  a  low  estimate  when  it  is  said  that  not  one- 
half  of  the  population  claiming  to  be  Lutheran  is  found  in 
Lutheran  congregations  or,  indeed,  in  any  church.  This 
is  true  of  all  the  Northwestern  States.  Unchurched 
Lutherans  literally  swarm  in  all  the  leading  cities,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  cannot  be  reached  except  by  the  use 
of  the  English  language.  This  shows  the  tremendous 
task  before  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  especially  the 
English  portion,  to  gather  this  unchurched  element, 
some  of  which  is  being  gathered  by  other  churches,  but 
a  large  proportion  is  not  only  lost  to  the  church,  but 
lost  forever. 

What  is  true  of  Wisconsin  is  true  also  of  Minnesota 
and  the  Dakotas.  While  the  number  of  communicants 
in  Lutheran  congregations  in  Minnesota  is  not  as  large 
as  in  Wisconsin,  being  267,322,  the  number  of  unchurched 
Lutherans  is  fully  as  great  if  not  greater  than  in  the  latter 
State.  The-  proportion  of  Lutherans  to  the  Reformed 
denominations  and  the  Roman  Catholics  was  in  191 2 
practically  the  same  as  in  Wisconsin.  There  are  con- 
gregations in  practically  every  county  of  the  State,  the 
number  including  missions  and  preaching  places  being 
1789,  scattered  among  fifteen  Synods,  the  number  belong- 
ing to  several  being  very  small.  (Statistics  gathered  by 
Rev.  L.  F.  Gruber.)  Throughout  the  State  there  were 
only  eight  exclusively  English  congregations,  and  several 
unorganized  missions,  while  there  were  a  number  of  bi- 
lingual churches.    Of  the  English  congregations,  twenty- 


THE  LUTHERAN  SITUATION  165 

two  belonged  to  the  General  Council,  which  is  doing  the 
most  aggressive  English  work. 

In  the  Twin  Cities,  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  the  num- 
ber of  Lutheran  communicants,  according  to  the  religious 
census  of  1906,  was  21,601,  while  in  1911  to  1912  the 
former  city  had  63  congregations  and  missions,  with 
15,498  communicants,  and  the  latter  40  congregations 
and  12,945  communicants,  or  a  total  of  103  congregations 
and  28,443  communicants,  in  a  population  of  over  half  a 
million.  While  compared  with  the  several  denomina- 
tions the  showing  is  good,  it  leaves  much  to  be  desired, 
especially  when  the  unchurched  mass  of  those  of  Lutheran 
parentage  are  considered,  the  majority  of  which  can  only 
be  reached  through  the  English  language. 

Of  the  twenty-eight  English  congregations  in  Minne- 
sota, twelve  belonged  to  Minneapolis  and  five  to  St.  Paul, 
while  in  addition  a  number  of  congregations  used  English 
in  some  of  the  services  and  have  English  Sunday  schools. 

There  is  a  stir  along  the  line  of  English  work.  Its  im- 
portance is  beginning  to  be  felt  on  every  side.  The  ques- 
tion is  being  earnestly  discussed  at  the  different  synod- 
ical  conventions.  The  scarcity  of  ministers  to  enter  into 
the  work  is  everywhere  lamented,  which  are  signs  of  the 
awakening  of  the  Church  to  realize  her  responsibility 
before  God  to  endeavor  to  seek  and  save  the  straying  souls. 

The  changes  that  have  taken  place  with  respect  to  con- 
ditions in  the  Lutheran  Church  since  the  opening  of  the 
twentieth  century  are  tremendous.  Not  only  is  it  mani- 
fest in  the  rapid  growth  of  the  great  cities  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  very  decided  transition  toward  the  English 
among  the  several  foreign  nationalities,  but  across  the 
border  of  what  is  so  frequently  styled  as  "America,"  in 
the  Canadian  provinces,  the  same  is  found.    Where  at 


1 66     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

the  opening  of  the  century  there  were  few  English  con- 
gregations, and  where  the  church  hardly  realized  that 
there  was  a  field  for  English  work,  numerous  flourishing 
English  congregations  have  sprung  up,  so  that  eastern 
Canada  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  fruitful  mission 
fields  of  the  Church.  As  that  territory  is  almost  co- 
temporary  with  the  eastern  portion  of  the  United  States, 
it  seems  strange  that  it  was  not  thought  of  for  English 
work  a  half-century  earlier. 

But  there  is  another  portion  of  that  vast  territory  to  the 
north  which  presents  tremendous  problems  to  the  Church, 
and  where  conditions  are  such  that,  unless  taken  ad- 
vantage of  now,  the  result  will  be  irreparable  loss.  Immi- 
gration has  been  pouring  into  the  northwestern  provinces 
of  Canada,  Manitoba,  Saskatchawan,  Alberta  and  British 
Columbia  since  the  beginning  of  the  century  at  a  tremen- 
dous rate.  Not  only  from  the  Lutheran  countries  of 
Europe  have  they  come  to  occupy  the  fertile  plains  and 
valleys  of  what  was  half  a  century  ago  still  regarded  as  an 
inhospitable  wilderness,  where  they  have  found  both  soil 
and  climate  such  as  to  assure  great  prosperity;  but  tens  of 
thousands  have  crossed  the  border  from  the  United  States 
to  share  in  the  promising  temporal  gain. 

While  the  Germans,  the  Swedes  and  the  Norwegians  are 
doing  aggressive  missionary  work  among  the  several 
nationalities,  only  three  points — Winnipeg,  Victoria  and 
Vancouver — have  been  touched  by  the  English,  with  per- 
haps a  service  or  two  held  at  some  other  points.  Thousands 
of  Lutherans  from  the  United  States  are  to  be  found  scat- 
tered over  that  vast  domain,  the  majority  of  which  prefer 
the  English,  and  the  second  generation  of  the  earlier 
immigrants  are  in  many  places  prepared  for  it.  It  is  a  vast 
harvest  field  ripe  for  the  gathering,  with  as  yet  none  to 


First  English  Lutheran  Church,  Winnipeg 


THE  LUTHERAN  SITUATION  167 

gather  it.  Like  the  man  of  Macedonia  who  in  a  vision 
appeared  to  the  Apostle  Paul,  saying,  "Come  over  and 
help  us,"  so  comes  the  cry  from  the  great  Canadian 
Northwest  to  the  Lutherans  of  our  country,  "Come  over 
and  help  us."  Nor  are  the  difficulties  in  gathering  con- 
gregations in  the  Canadian  provinces  as  great  as  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  United  States.  There  is  there  more 
reverence  for  holy  things  than  on  this  side.  Worldliness 
has  not  so  completely  taken  hold  of  the  government. 
There  is  still  some  respect  for  God's  laws  and  the  needs 
of  man's  spiritual  nature  are  recognized.  The  Lord's 
Day  receives  true  recognition  and  is  not  regarded  as 
only  a  holiday,  in  which  all  sorts  of  distracting  diversions 
are  held  out  to  the  people,  but  as  a  day  when  God's  house 
offers  the  chief  attraction.  In  the  large  Canadian  cities 
Sunday  baseball  is  unknown,  and  all  theatres  and  shows 
of  any  kind  are  closed,  and  the  morning  air  is  not  dis- 
turbed by  the  cry  of  the  newsboys  selling  Sunday  papers. 
What  a  contrast  to  the  cities  of  the  United  States,  espe- 
cially in  the  northwest!  While  in  the  cities  across  the 
border  the  churches  are  filled  on  Sunday  evenings,  as  well 
as  in  the  morning,  with  devout  worshipers,  on  this  side 
it  is  an  exception  to  find  a  church  filled  at  the  evening 
service,  and  in  quite  a  number  it  is  abandoned  altogether, 
while  the  theatres,  motion  picture  shows  and  dance  halls 
are  crowded. 

While,  on  account  of  social  conditions,  the  difficulties 
in  the  work  of  Home  Missions  are  increased  in  the  States, 
in  the  provinces  of  Canada  it  is  much  easier,  and  that 
field  should  be  occupied  and  the  worked  pushed  with 
vigor  as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  the  Church  be  thoroughly 
anchored  before  the  tide  of  extreme  worldliness  sweeps 
across  the  border  and  infects  their  large  cities.     Never 


1 68     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

was  there  such  an  opportunity  for  the  Church  offered  in 
any  land  as  is  offered  by  Canada  in  the  early  part  of  the 
second  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Such  are  the  conditions  which  obtain  in  the  Northwest- 
ern States  and  the  Canadian  provinces.  The  picture 
is  not  overdrawn.  Those  who  have  been  on  the  territory 
for  years  and  have  noted  the  changes  that  have  taken  place 
by  coming  in  direct  touch  with  them,  know  whereof  they 
speak.  Unless  the  Church  knows  the  facts,  it  will  not  be 
aroused  to  greater  activity.  Would  to  God  that  the  whole 
Church  realized  her  duty  toward  the  straying  thousands 
throughout  America,  and  would  take  advantage  of  her 
opportunity  when  the  conditions  are  so  favorable  to  take 
possession  of  her  heritage. 

There  never  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America  when  there  was  so  much  to  gain  or  to 
lose  according  as  the  situation  is  realized,  and  the  whole 
Church  aroused  to  action,  or  continue  to  remain  in  a 
measure  passive.  The  argument  has  been  advanced,  let 
the  Synods  that  are  most  numerously  represented  on  the 
territory  in  question  engage  in  more  intensive  missionary 
work  and  provide  for  their  descendants  in  the  English 
language,  as  the  Church  in  the  older  parts  of  our  country 
has  its  hands  full  on  its  immediate  territory  to  keep  pace 
with  the  rapid  growth  of  the  eastern  cities.  That  argu- 
ment is  unworthy  of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation  in 
Pennsylvania  and  other  eastern  States,  where  it  has 
existed  for  over  a  century  and  a  half,  and,  where,  during  the 
last  half-century,  it  has  gathered  strength,  as  an  English- 
speaking  Church,  and  grown  rich  and  well  able,  if  properly 
aroused,  to  accomplish  great  things  in  helping  to  gather 
in  the  unchurched  thousands  in  the  great  Northwest,  who 
can  best  be  reached  through  the  medium  of  the  language 


THE  LUTHERAN  SITUATION  169 

of  America.  It  is  too  serious  a  matter  to  let  the  present 
needs  remain  unmet,  and  to  let  the  golden  opportunities 
for  the  salvation  of  precious  souls  pass  by.  How  shall  the 
Church  render  an  account  if  it  fails  to  realize  its  respon- 
sibility? The  winning  of  our  land  for  Christ  is  the  work 
to  which  the  Church  must  set  itself  most  earnestly  while 
the  golden  opportunity  is  at  hand.  While  there  will  be 
work  to  be  done  in  years  to  come,  and  the  Church  will 
always  have  Home  Mission  problems  to  solve,  it  is  clear 
that,  if  present  conditions  are  not  taken  advantage  of,  the 
difficulties  will  multiply  and  the  losses  sustained  in  one 
generation  will  never  be  made  good  in  the  one  succeed- 
ing. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS 

We  are  living  in  a  strenuous  age.  History  is  making 
more  rapidly  during  the  second  decade  of  the  twentieth 
century  than  it  did  during  the  first.  When  the  English 
Home  Mission  work  was  begun  in  the  Northwest  in  1883, 
it  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  age  of  electricity.  With 
that,  and  the  invention  of  the  gasoline  engine,  the  whole 
civilized  world  has  been  revolutionized.  Not  only  do 
electric  railways  bind  together  cities  and  villages,  but 
everywhere  throughout  the  rural  districts  people  are  in 
constant  communication  with  the  cities  by  means  of  the 
telephone.  Since  the  opening  of  the  twentieth  century 
the  automobile  has  been  so  perfected  that  it  is  becoming 
the  common  vehicle,  not  only  for  purposes  of  business 
and  pleasure,  but  it  has  in  large  measure  supplanted  the 
horse  in  the  transportation  of  goods  both  in  the  city  and 
the  country.  Flying  machines  are  no  more  merely  a 
curiosity,  but,  while  as  yet  of  little  utilitarian  value,  are 
quite  common,  in  spite  of  the  fearful  loss  of  life  they  have 
occasioned.  All  this  shows  the  changes  in  the  times  and 
the  conditions  affecting  human  society.  The  world  is 
moving  at  a  pace  never  dreamed  of  a  century  ago,  and 
it  is  well  for  the  Church  to  take  notice. 

The  influence  of  the  material  progress  of  the  age  is  so 
apt  to  absorb  the  attention  of  mankind  that  spiritual 
things  are  in  danger  of  being  put  more  and  more  into  the 
background.    While  the  Church  is  still  regarded  as  an 

170 


WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS  17 1 

institution  laboring  for  the  highest  welfare  of  the  race,  it  is 
already  looked  upon  by  many  as  a  social  affair,  and  church 
membership  is  determined  by  the  character  of  the  society 
in  a  certain  congregation,  or  by  companionship,  with  no 
consideration  of  the  faith  that  is  professed.  On  the 
other  hand,  an  increasing  mass  of  men  is  standing  aloof 
from  all  church  connection,  being  carried  away  by  the 
materialism  of  the  age,  and  their  families  grow  up,  as  it 
were,  in  semi-heathenism,  having  no  Christian  conscious- 
ness, and  swell  the  ranks  of  socialism  and  anti-Christian 
societies. 

While  the  Gospel  is  the  same  in  every  age,  and  the 
word  of  God  has  not  lost  its  power,  being  still  'The  power 
of  God  unto  salvation  to  everyone  that  believeth"  (Rom. 
1: 16),  the  Church  needs  to  be  aroused  to  see  that  changed 
conditions  require  greater  alertness  and  zeal,  that  the 
Gospel  do  not  entirely  lose  its  hold  upon  the  great  mass  of 
mankind.  As  the  influences  which  draw  mankind  away 
from  the  Church  and  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  increase, 
the  responsibility  of  the  Church  increases  in  the  same 
proportion.  Unto  her  has  been  entrusted  the  means  of 
Grace,  and  if  she  does  not  recognize  the  danger  threaten- 
ing so-called  Christendom,  and  endeavor  with  greater 
earnestness  to  meet  it,  she  is  derelict  in  her  duty  and  will 
forfeit  God's  favor. 

It  required  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  from  the  time  the 
first  English  Evangelical  Lutheran  churches  were  es- 
tablished in  the  Northwest  before  the  several  parts  of  the 
Church  on  this  territory  were  fully  aroused  to  see  the  im- 
portance of  doing  aggressive  English  Mission  work. 
While  some  feeble  beginnings  were  made,  in  some  cases 
as  an  offset  to  the  General  Council's  work,  there  was  no 
effort  to  push  the  work  with  vigor.     It  required  time  to 


172     ENGLISH  LUTHER ANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

comprehend  the  situation,  and  also  to  train  a  ministry  able 
to  efficiently  do  the  work.  It  always  takes  time  for  per- 
sons to  adapt  themselves  to  new  conditions.  But  since 
the  Church  is  beginning  to  see  its  reponsibilities  with 
respect  to  the  masses  who  need  the  Gospel  in  the  English 
language,  how  can  that  work  be  done  most  efficiently 
and  the  Lutheran  Church  take  its  rightful  place  among 
the  people  of  this  land? 

The  way  for  future  development  has  been  cleared.  The 
Lutheran  Church  need  no  longer  beg  for  recognition 
among  English-speaking  people,  but  is  being  looked  upon 
as  a  most  prominent  factor  among  the  religious  forces  of 
the  land,  and  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  It  has 
won  the  respect  of  many  who  formerly  scarcely  accorded 
it  any  notice.  It  has  made  an  impression  upon  the  differ- 
ent denominations  and  sects,  so  that  many  are  beginning 
to  adopt  her  methods,  although  often  unwilling  to  ac- 
knowledge her  direct  influence. 

To  accomplish  the  work  to  which  the  Lord  has  called 
her  in  this  our  land,  it  is  necessary  that  the  Church  move 
forward  as  one  mighty  army  against  the  forces  of  the 
enemy.  While  an  army  is  divided  into  corps  and  divi- 
sions, brigades  and  regiments,  each  part  having  its  par- 
ticular work,  one  spirit  must  animate  the  whole.  There 
must  be  united  action.  Intense  devotion  must  charac- 
terize her  members,  and  every  part  should  be  in  touch 
with  every  other  part,  so  that  there  be  no  misunder- 
standings with  respect  to  the  work  that  is  to  be  done,  that 
the  greatest  victories  may  be  achieved  without  waste  of 
effort.  There  must  be  a  pulling  together  of  the  Lutheran 
forces  so  that  there  be  no  conflict  between  brethren  of  the 
several  nationalities  by  which  the  cause  will  be  made  to 
suffer,    and   many   straying   sheep   remain   ungathered. 


WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS  173 

If  every  part  of  the  Church  is  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  whole,  the  hands  of  all  will  be  strengthened  and 
the  greatest  good  will  accrue  to  the  largest  number.  The 
spirit  of  "I  am  better  than  thou"  must  be  banished,  and 
the  nobler  spirit  of  "We  are  brethren  "  must  be  every- 
where encouraged. 

The  idea  that  all  the  descendants  of  any  certain  national- 
ity are  the  exclusive  property  of  the  pastors  and  Synods  of 
such  particular  nationality  is  both  un-American  and  un- 
christian. As  Christians,  the  Lutheran  Church  knows 
no  nationality,  but  only  souls  to  be  saved.  If  any  par- 
ticular Synod  does  work  among  its  own  people  and  does 
it  efficiently,  no  other  body  should  interfere.  But  if  the 
rising  generation  is  not  taken  care  of,  and  is  permitted  to 
stray  into  other  folds,  or  to  be  lost  to  the  world,  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  Church  as  a  church  to  look  after  such  straying 
souls.  The  position  of  a  prominent  pastor,  whose  Synod 
has  in  Minnesota  but  ten  ministers,  with  3329  communi- 
cant members  in  its  congregations,  out  of  a  population 
(including  those  born  here)  of  37,540;  and  in  Minne- 
apolis one  congregation  with  217  communicants,  out  of  a 
population  of  3829,  that  no  others  but  pastors  of  his 
nationality  have  a  right  to  do  mission  work  among  the 
unchurched  of  his  people,  is  not  only  extremely  narrow, 
but  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel.  In  speaking  of 
the  number  of  people  gathered  into  their  congregations, 
he  said:  "This,  however,  is  not  our  constituency,  which 
by  adherence  is  very  much  larger.  We  do  not  try  to  get 
all  into  our  congregations  that  we  can  get,  or  that  attend 
our  churches,  while  we  still  serve  those  that  come,  in  a 
spiritual  way,  and,  of  course,  we  look  upon  all  in  Minnesota 
as  our  mission  field." 

Another  point  to  be  recognized  for  the  future  develop- 


174     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

ment  of  the  Church  is,  that  care  be  taken  that  there  be  no 
overlapping  of  the  work,  but  that  each  recognize  the 
rights  of  others,  and  that  the  welfare  of  the  churches  as  a 
whole  be  kept  in  mind.  There  are  now  not  a  few  towns 
which  could  properly  support  one  Lutheran  congre- 
gation of  one  particular  nationality,  and  perhaps  one  of 
another  nationality,  where  there  are,  in  fact,  from  three  to 
five  Lutheran  congregations,  with  scarcely  one  that  can 
support  its  pastor.  There  are  places  where  there  are  three 
Norwegian  and  two  German  churches,  all  existing  at  a 
"poor  dying  rate,"  where  one  of  each  nationality  would 
be  ample  to  take  care  of  the  people.  When  those  con- 
gregations become  English,  what  a  spectacle  they  will  pre- 
sent to  the  general  public!  Instead  of  one  or  two  strong 
churches  which  will  make  an  impression  upon  the  com- 
munity, there  are  a  number  of  rival  parties  giving  the  lie 
to  the  words  of  the  Psalmist  (Ps.  133  :  1),  "Behold,  how 
good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together 
in  unity."  The  waste  of  talent  is  shameful,  and  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Church  is  hindered.  By  a  drawing  together 
of  the  Lutheran  forces,  such  places,  where  there  now  is  a 
greatly  divided  household,  will  be  strengthened  because 
the  existing  petty  jealousies  will  cease,  and  in  many  cases 
one  strong  congregation  will  more  than  compensate  for 
the  three  or  four  weak  ones. 

But  that  this  much-desired  end  may  be  attained  there 
must  be  the  recognition  of  Lutherans  who  are  loyal  to  the 
confessions  as  Lutherans,  whatever  the  Synodical  con- 
nection, that  when  a  field  is  entered  by  one  body  repre- 
sented on  the  territory,  their  previous  occupation  of  it  be 
recognized,  so  that  there  be  no  erection  of  altar  against 
altar  by  the  organization  of  rival  congregations. 

It  is  of  vital  importance  for  the  whole  Church  that  its 


WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS  175 

resources,  be  they  material  or  spiritual,  be  conserved, 
that  the  largest  possible  territory  be  occupied  and  the 
Church  extended  as  rapidly  as  possible.  If  two  ministers 
of  different  Synods,  both  true  to  the  confessions  of  the 
Church,  are  in  a  field  where  one  could  do  the  work,  it  is 
both  a  waste  of  strength  and  resources,  especially  if  they 
are  of  the  same  nationality.  One  man  familiar  with 
both  the  mother  tongue  and  the  English,  having  a  true 
love  for  souls,  could  do  the  work  of  both,  and  not  only 
receive  a  better  support,  but  make  a  better  impression 
upon  the  community. 

While  the  Church  has  to  do  with  spiritual  things,  there 
is  a  business  element  enters  into  the  work  that  must  not  be 
overlooked  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  reached.  Where 
there  are  so  many  places  destitute  of  the  pure  Gospel,  and 
precious  souls  are  perishing  for  lack  of  a  minister  who  can 
break  unto  them  the  bread  of  life,  it  is  of  the  highest  im- 
portance that  the  Church's  resources  be  so  distributed 
that  the  largest  number  may  be  reached.  In  order  that 
this  end  may  be  attained  without  friction,  there  should 
be  co-operation  wherever  possible,  so  that  the  Church  may 
be  able  to  present  a  united  front  against  the  errors  of 
Romanism,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  loose  sectarianism, 
together  with  the  constantly  arising  religious  fads,  on  the 
other.  This  can  be  done  without  any  danger  of  the  dis- 
ruption of  any  synodical  body  which  stands  fairly  and 
squarely  on  the  pure  Word  of  God  and  the  confessions  of 
the  Church.  To  conserve  the  highest  interests  of  the 
Church  there  must  be  loyalty.  Loyalty  to  the  Church 
as  a  whole,  and  at  the  same  time  loyalty  to  the  Synod. 
The  effort  of  one  Synod  to  alienate  congregations  belong- 
ing to  another  Lutheran  body,  which,  it  must  be  admitted, 
has  happened,  is  unworthy  of  a  body  of  Christian  men. 


176     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

Conditions  and  circumstances  have  in  some  cases  made 
it  desirable  for  a  congregation  to  change  synodical  con- 
nection, where  both  were  loyal  to  the  truth,  but  then  it  was 
done  for  the  highest  interest  of  the  Church  and  with  the 
consent  of  the  Synod.  If  brethren  understand  each  other, 
and  are  true  to  the  faith,  they  can  work  together  in  har- 
mony, whatever  Synod  they  belong  to,  be  it  Scandinavian, 
German  or  English. 

But  besides  the  pulling  together  of  the  Lutheran  forces 
and  the  working  in  harmony,  there  are  still  other  demands 
for  the  future  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  Northwest. 
The  foundation  of  our  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  is 
indestructible,  and  the  building  is  growing  as  congre- 
gation is  added  to  congregation.  Shall  this  growth  con- 
tinue and  advance  more  rapidly,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
strong  and  secure?  This  will  depend  on  the  character 
of  the  pastors,  and  the  interest  in  the  work  of  saving  souls, 
and  on  firmly  holding  fast  to  the  faith  as  revealed  by 
Christ  and  confessed  by  the  Church.  There  must  be  an 
ample  supply  of  faithful,  self-denying  ministers,  who  do 
not  shrink  from  hardships  which  they  are  called  upon  to 
face.  They  must  not  be  easily  discouraged  when  trials 
incident  to  the  entering  of  a  new  field  come,  but  who  are 
ready  in  God's  name  to  go  forward  at  the  call  of  the 
Master. 

But  not  only  is  it  necessary  to  have  an  adequate  number 
of  efficient  ministers,  the  Church  must  manifest  the  in- 
tensest  interest  in  the  salvation  of  souls,  which  will  not 
confine  its  efforts  to  those  nominally  Lutheran,  but  which 
also  endeavors  to  reach  the  unchurched  masses  of  what- 
ever class  and  character.  The  commission  "Go  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature"  is 
broad  as  humanity,  and  the  Church  is  to  lengthen  her 


St.  James  Church,  Portland 


WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS  177 

cords  and  extend  her  tent,  so  as  to  find  room  for  all  that 
can  be  reached  by  the  pure  Gospel.  The  question  of 
nationality  sinks  into  insignificance  when  it  concerns  the 
salvation  of  souls.  The  numerous  unoccupied  fields, 
the  rapid  transition  to  English,  the  persistent  efforts  on 
the  part  of  the  different  denominations  to  proselyte  our 
Lutheran  people,  should  arouse  the  whole  Church  to  a 
sense  of  her  wonderful  opportunities  and  her  tremendous 
responsibilities. 

Since  throughout  the  vast  domain,  characterized  as  the 
Northwest,  our  Lutheran  people  are  scattered,  in  many 
cases  as  wandering  sheep  without  a  fold,  and,  moreover, 
since  there  are  thousands  of  others  equally  destitute, 
there  is  a  call  to  the  Church  for  action  as  never  before. 
It  requires  more  earnest  prayer,  more  loving  hearts  and 
more  open  hands  for  the  work,  coupled  with  unwavering 
faith  in  God's  promises.  If  the  Church  is  thus  aroused, 
her  progress  in  the  future  will  far  transcend  the  past. 
Since  the  field  is  so  vast  and  the  need  so  great,  and  this 
coupled  with  the  tremendous  responsibility  resting  upon 
the  whole  Church,  there  is  no  time  to  waste  in  jealousies 
and  envyings  and  clashings,  for  the  salvation  of  souls  is 
at  stake.  While  we  all  love  our  own  Church  body,  and 
it  is  our  duty  to  work  for  the  strengthening  of  its  stakes, 
the  Church  as  a  Church  is  greater  than  any  individual  part. 

But  the  future  of  the  Church  will  depend,  above  all, 
upon  our  holding  fast  to  the  faith  as  revealed  by  Christ 
and  bequeathed  to  us  through  the  great  Reformation. 
In  these  days  of  unrest  and  of  doctrinal  laxness  the 
Lutheran  Church  has  a  mission  of  far  greater  importance 
than  the  mere  gathering  of  numbers  into  her  congregations. 
There  is  a  widespread  opinion  among  professing  Christians 
that  all  churches  are  about  alike,  and  if  a  person  is  only  a 


178     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

member  of  some  church  he  is  all  right  and  entitled  to  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  This  soul-destroying  error  can  only 
be  refuted  by  insisting  on  the  true  faith  and  taking  an  un- 
compromising attitude  against  all  error  of  whatever  char- 
acter. But  it  must  be  done  in  the  spirit  of  love,  and  not 
in  the  spirit  of  antagonism  and  controversy.  Nothing  has 
ever  been  gained  by  compromising  with  error,  but  much, 
very  much  has  been  lost.  The  doctrines  of  our  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  have  stood  the  test  of  ages,  she 
has  never  had  occasion  to  amend  them,  because  they  are 
the  unimpeachable  truth  as  set  forth  in  God's  Word. 

The  greatness  of  our  Church's  future  will  be  seen  in  the 
influence  she  will  exert  on  our  country,  as  well  as  abroad. 
The  influence  of  the  early  church  upon  the  nations  to  whom 
the  apostles  and  their  immediate  followers  carried  the 
Gospel  was  tremendous.  So  fearful  did  the  rulers  be- 
come, lest  it  supplant  heathenism,  and  so  destroy  their 
influence  over  the  people,  that  most  terrible  persecutions 
were  inaugurated;  but  what  they  feared  at  length  took 
place  in  spite  of  the  arena  and  the  stake.  The  influence 
of  the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century  upon  the  whole 
of  Europe  cannot  be  estimated.  In  spite  of  a  decimating 
war  to  crush  the  truth,  the  truth  lifted  up  its  head  in 
triumph.  Today  the  Church  is  meeting  the  assaults  of 
skepticism  and  of  science,  falsely  so  called,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  pomp  and  glitter  and  imposing  demon- 
strations of  a  false  church,  together  with  numerous  religious 
fads,  on  the  other.  The  odds  are  often  apparently  against 
her,  but  her  victory  cannot  fail. 

The  Lutheran  Church  has  hitherto  exerted  little  direct 
influence  on  political  and  social  affairs  in  this  country, 
but  her  indirect  influence  has  been  great,  and  it  will  show 
itself  more  and  more  as  the  years  roll  on.    Her  great  mis- 


WHAT  THE  FUTURE  DEMANDS  179 

sion  is  to  preach  righteousness,  to  lead  men  from  the 
ways  of  sin  to  living  faith  in  Jesus  Christ;  hence,  her 
ministers  have  no  time  for  preaching  politics,  or  to  seek 
quasi-popularity  by  the  denunciation  of  public  servants, 
or  by  interfering  in  the  affairs  of  government;  but  she 
preaches  Christ.  Her  aim  is  to  change  the  heart,  to 
enlighten  the  individual  conscience,  to  lead  to  humble 
submission  to  the  will  of  God,  to  infuse  religion  into  the 
family,  and  thus  to  influence  the  community,  the  State 
and  the  nation.  The  nation  will  be  what  the  families 
composing  it  are.  If  there  is  an  exalted  moral  tone  in  the 
community,  its  blessed  influence  will  make  itself  felt  in  a 
wider  sphere.  With  politics  corrupted  and  often  a  low 
moral  standard  in  the  community,  as  is  so  generally  the 
case  in  our  times,  the  outlook  for  the  future  of  the  country 
would  be  grave  indeed  were  it  not  for  the  leavening  in- 
fluence of  the  Church.  She  is  the  great  elevating  force, 
and  the  more  aggressive  she  is  in  extending  her  borders, 
the  more  will  her  blessed  influence  make  itself  felt  through- 
out the  land. 

The  time  is  speedily  approaching  when  differences  of 
nationality  and  of  language  will  step  into  the  background. 
When  the  question  will  not  be  asked,  are  you  Swedish,  or 
of  Norwegian  or  German  stock,  but  when  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America  will  be  one  in  language  as  she  is  one  in 
faith.  Then  all  will  see  eye  to  eye  and  will  work  hand  in 
hand  for  the  extension  of  God's  kingdom.  Then  our 
Church  will  show  to  the  world  that  the  principles  of  truth 
as  set  forth  in  the  Word  of  God  are  above  all  human 
theories  and  considerations;  that  they  are  the  only  bond 
of  union  which  cannot  be  broken. 

While  that  day  is  not  yet  at  hand,  he  who  can  read  the 
signs  of  the  times  cannot  help  noticing  the   streaks  of 


180     ENGLISH  LUTHERANISM  IN  THE  NORTHWEST 

dawn,  indicating  that  the  sun  will  in  due  time  rise  and 
usher  in  the  glorious  day  of  a  united  Church.  May  God 
in  His  infinite  mercy  hasten  the  day  when  all  belonging 
to  our  great  Lutheran  Church  will  see  eye  to  eye,  and  as 
one  mighty  host  march  forward  in  the  fulfilment  of  her 
glorious  mission. 


INDEX 


A  bright  future  ahead,  140 

A  call  for  action,  172 

A  cordial  reception,  45 

A  look  backward,  158 

Anda,  Rev.  A.  C,  137,  161 

A  sad  parting,  44 

Attitude  of  the  Swedish  pastors, 

33,  47,  in 
Augustana  College  and  Seminary, 

85 
Augustana  Synod,  the,  38,  140, 
144,  160 
Educational  work  of,  84,  86 
English  work  of,  117 
Meeting   at   Chisago   Lake, 

I22f. 

Meeting  at  Jamestown,  N.Y., 

114 
Meeting       at       Lindsborg, 

Kans.,  128 
Resolutions  of,  in 

Baisler,  Rev.  P.  E.,  137 

Beates,  Rev.  James  F.,  133 

Bethany  College,  87 

Bible  class,  English,  for  Scandi- 
navians, 49 

Bi-lingual  congregations,  160 

Board  of  English  Home  Missions, 
98 

Bohemians,  work  among,  105 


Bohn,  Mr.  J.  A.,  ioof. 
Breakers  ahead,  127 

Call  of  first  missionary,  30 
Calling  attention  to  the  Church, 

73 
Canada,  135,  159,  166 
Carlson,  Dr.  Erland,  84 
Chicago,  17,  32,  39 
Church,  business  end  of  the,  175 
Church  debts,  63 
Church  extension,  95,  97 
Church,  future  of  the,  178 
Church  is  being  recognized,  172 
Church  loyalty,  175 
Church,  mission  of  the,  148,  171, 

179 
Church  needs  to  be  aroused,  171 
Church,  responsibility  of  the,  137, 

177 
Church,  slowness  of  the,  141 
Church,  the,  an  army,  172 
Church,  the,  waking  up,  142,  145, 

165 

Church  unity,  150,  155,  173 

Civil  War,  the,  21 

Committee  of  English  Home  Mis- 
sions, 25,  115 

Competing  with  existing  churches, 
64 

Conference,  English,  119,  123 


181 


182 


INDEX 


Conflicting  opinions,  32 
Controversy,  period  of,  22 
Co-operation,  importance  of,  149, 
152,  i7S 

Dakota,  North,  80 

Dedication  of  first  English  church, 

Si 
Devil's  bait,  the,  68 
Discouraging  features,  66ff. 
Dream  of  Dr.  Passavant,  20 

English  church,  slowness  of  the, 
22,  141 

English  Conference,  119,  123 

English  congregation,  the  first,  16 

English  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Synod  of  the  Northwest,  i2sff. 

English  Home  Mission  Com- 
mittee, 91 

English  Home  Missions,  Board  of, 
98 

English  Home  Missions,  necessity 

of,  35i- 
English    Home    Missions,    rules 

governing,  112 
English  language,  the,  141 
English,  movement  toward,  144, 

146 
English,  service  in,  21,  163 
English  services,  need  of,  141 
English  Synod,  desire  for,  90,  118 
English   Synod  inevitable,    120, 

124 
English  Theological  professor,  75 
English  work,  methods  of,  109 
Expansion  of  the  work,  159 

Faith,  heroic,  29 
Faith  rewarded,  56L 


Fargo,  N  D.,  80,  114 

Field  Missionaries,  142 

Field,  vastness  of  the,  92L,  166 

Financial  difficulties,  546:. 

First  congregation  organized,  48L 

First  dedication,  51 

First  missionary  in  Minneapolis, 

30,  42,  57 
First  service,  the,  45 
Frick,  Rev.  W.  K.,  51,  87,  93,  99, 

161 
Friction  often  unavoidable,  48 
Fritschel,  Dr.  S.,  107 
Future  of  the  Church,  155 

Gehr,  Rev.  G.  F.,  103 
General  Council  at  Buffalo,  i27f. 
at  Fort  Wayne,  128 
at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  40,  113 
at  Minneapolis,  91,  143 
at  Pittsburgh,  92 
at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  25 
General  Council  territory,  93 
General    Synod,    committee    re- 
specting, 94 
Gerberding,  Dr.  G.  H.,  81, 93, 128 
German  Iowa  Synod,  160 
German  Lutherans  taking  notice, 

73 
German,  transition  from,  17 
Germans  in  Minneapolis,  107 
Germany,  immigration  from,  139 
Gustavus  Adolphus  College,  86f. 

Handicap,  serious,  27 
Hasselquist,  Dr.  T.  N.,  84 
Haupt,  Rev.  A.  J.  D.,  42,  46,  52, 

60 
Heroic  faith,  29 
Heyer,  Rev.  C.  F.,  21 


INDEX 


183 


Home  Mission  committee,  116 

Home  Mission  day,  95 

How  the  work  was  done,  ioiff. 

Immigrants,  taking  care  of   the, 

16 
Immigration  from  Germany,  139 
Immigration  from  the  Scandina- 
vian countries,  140 
Increasing  responsibility,  164 
Indifference  of  parents,  71 
Influence  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 

179 
Influence      of      the      Reformed 

churches,  65 
Inner  Mission  work,  i55f. 
Itinerary  of  church  furnishings, 
6of. 

Jensen,  Rev.  C.  J.,  100,  135 

Kenosha,  Wis.,  103 
Kind  of  ministers  needed,  176 
Krotel,  Dr.  G.  F.,  115 
Kunkleman,  Dr.  J.  A.,  60 

La  Crosse,  Wis.,  101 
Language  Question,  the,  15 
Large  church  debts,  63 
Lindahl,  Dr.  S.  P.  A.,  115 
Lindtwed,  Rev.  C.  B.,  79 
Livingston,  Mon.,  137 
Loyalty,  Church,  175 
Luther  League  work,  152,  154 
Lutheran  Church,  future  of,  144, 

177 
Lutheran  doctrine,  178 
Lutheran    ministers,  attitude  of 

some,  69 
Lutheran  Standard,  the,  147 


Lutherans  in  other  churches,  22 
Lutherans,  recognition  of,  156 

Meeting  expenses,  59 
Memorial,  St.  Paul,  51 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  99,  161 
Ministers,  need  of,  176 
Minneapolis,  24,  27,  3of.,  48,  160 

arrival  at,  42ff. 

General  Council  at,  91,  143 

Mission  in,  57,  60,  63 
Minnesota  Conference,  the,  43 
Minnesota,  situation  in,  164L 
Mission  Superintendent,  92,  95L 
Missionary  Conference,  121 
Missions,  Inner,  issf. 
Missourians  waking  up,  108 
Modern  progress,  170 

Nationalistic  prejudices,  151,  153 
Norelius,  Dr.  E.,  21,  84 
Northwest  provinces,  159 
Norwegians,  activity  of,  160 

Olson,  Dr.  O.,  124 
Opinion  of  others,  36,  163 
Opportunities,  taking  advantage 

of,  63 
Opportunity,  greatness  of,  168 
Organ,  present  of  an,  44 
Overlapping  of  work,  174 

Pacific  Coast,  visit  to  the,  93,  132 
Pacific  Synod,  the,  134,  159,  161 
Passavant,  Dr.  W.  A.,  17,  28,  54, 

85,  99,  m>  131 
dream  of,  20 

first  visit  to  Minnesota,  19 
Passavant,  Rev.  W.  A.,  Jr.,  92, 95, 
121 


184 


INDEX 


Petrie,  Dr.  C.  J.,  91 
Pieper,  Dr.  F.,  146 
Pittsburgh,  General  Council  at,  92 
Placing  Synod  first,  150,  154 
Platteville,  Wis.,  103 
Portland,  Ore.,  132 
Prejudice  a  handicap,  151 
Prejudices,  yielding,  158 
Progress,  modern,  170 

Racine,  Wis.,  101 
Red  Wing,  Minn.,  451.,  52,  78 
Report  of  first  visit  to  the  North- 
west, 32 
Resources  should  be  conserved, 

175 
Responsibility  of  the  Church,  164 
Rules  governing  English  Missions, 

4i 

St.  John's,  Minneapolis,  49,  121, 

143 

St.  John's,  Philadelphia,  29, 49,  82 

St.  Paul,  21,  46,  51,  161 

Salem,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  42,  44 

Salem,  Minneapolis,  143 

Salt  Lake  City,  95,  133 

Scandinavian  countries,  immigra- 
tion from,  140 

Schantz,  Dr.  F.  J.  F.,  92 

Seattle,  Wash.,  132 

Sectarian  proselyting,  71 

Seiss,  Dr.  Joseph  A.,  118 

Selling  out  religion,  67 

Serious  handicap,  a,  27 

Shall  history  repeat  itself?  138 

Sjoeblom,  Dr.  P.,  40,  46,  84, 114 

Skill  in  use  of  tools,  60 

Smith,  Hon.  C.  A.,  101 


State  Church  ideas,  70 
Superintendent  of  Missions,  92, 

Superior,  Wis.,  82 
Support  of  missionary,  29 
Swedish  work,  extension  of,  108 
Swenson,  Dr.  Carl  A.,  87 
Synod,  an  English,  119Q".,  125 
Synod  of  the  Northwest,  163 
Synod   placed   above  the  faith, 
152 

Tacoma,  Wash.,  133 
Ternstedt,  Rev.  J.,  24,  31 
The  field,  vastness  of  the,  159 
The  service  in  the  churches,  150 
Theological    Seminary,  Chicago, 

162 
Tools,  skill  in  use  of,  60 
Trabert,  Rev.  Earnest  A.,  101 
Trabert,  Rev.  George  H.,  30,  57, 

75,  82,  121,  126 
Transition  to  English,  158 
Twin  cities,  the,  165 

Uhler,  Dr.  J.  P.,  87 
Ulery,  Rev.  W.  F.,  80 
United  work  desirable,  171 

Vastness  of  the  field,  166 

Walther  League,  153 
Weak-kneed  Lutherans,  66 
Weidner,  Dr.  Revere  F.,  75,  85 
Western  Conference,  134 
Where  does  duty  lie?  44 
Winnipeg,  Canada,  135,  137,  159 
Wisconsin,  101,  103,  161,  163 
Work,  overlapping  of,  174 


Date  Due 

g£ 

9 

PRINTED 

IN   U.   S.   A. 

